17 December 2020>: Review Articles
Current Status of Diagnostic Testing for SARS-CoV-2 Infection and Future Developments: A Review
Jing Gao 12ABCEF , Lei Quan 1AEF*DOI: 10.12659/MSM.928552
Med Sci Monit 2020; 26:e928552
Table 1 Characteriscs of molecular diagnostic tests for SARS-Cov-2.
Testing methods | Time to development | Time to results | Commercially available | Advantages | Disadvantages | LOD* (copies/μl) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
RT-PCR | Days after knowledge of genome sequence | Hours | Yes | High sensitivity, high specificity, reliable, ideal for high-throughput analysis | Requiring sample transportation, substantial equipment, regents and trained personnel | 0.009–150 |
Isothermal PCR | Days after knowledge of genome sequence | 15–60 mins | Yes | High sensitivity, high specificity, point-of-care testing, user friendly | Complex primer design, prone to non-specific amplification and false-positive results | 0.13–7.0 |
ddPCR | Days after knowledge of genome sequence | Hours | Yes | Ultra-high sensitivity, high specificity, ideal for pooling analysis | More expensive than common RT-PCR | 0.01–0.63 |
Antibody test | Months after pathogen cultured | 15 mins− several hours | Yes | Convenient and safe, high specificity | Moderate sensitivity, cross-reactivity, retrospective nature () | NA |
Rapid antigen test | Several months after pathogen cultured | 15–30 mins | Yes | Rapid, visual readout | Requiring strict design of synthetic antibody and expert knowledge on viral etiology, prone to false-negative results | 10 times higher than RT-PCR |
CRISPR | Days after knowledge of genome sequence | 15–60 mins | No | High sensitivity, high specificity, reliable, visual readout, multiplexing | Have not been extensively tested for SARS-Cov-2 | 6.8 |
Toehold switch | Days after knowledge of genome sequence | 15–60 mins | No | High sensitivity, high specificity, safe and inexpensive, easy to store and distribute, ideal for wearable diagnostics | Have not been tested for SARS-Cov-2 | NA |
* Limit of detection (LOD), is defined as the amount of pathogen in a sample that would be missed at less than 5% of the time. |