Abstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a recently emerged and highly contagious virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). As of August 24, 2021, there were more than 212 million confirmed COVID-19 cases and nearly 4.4 million deaths reported globally. Early diagnosis and isolation of infected individuals remains one of the most effective public health interventions to control SARS-CoV-2 spread and for effective clinical management of COVID-19 cases. Currently, SARS-CoV-2 infection is diagnosed presumptively based on clinical symptoms and confirmed by detecting the viral RNA in respiratory samples using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Standard RT-PCR protocols are time consuming, expensive, and technically demanding, which makes them a poor choice for large scale and point-of-care screening in resource-poor settings. Recently developed isothermal nucleic acid amplification tests (iNAAT), antigen and/or serological tests are cost-effective to scale COVID-19 testing at the point-of-care (PoC) and for surveillance activities. This review discusses the development of rapid PoC molecular tools for the detection and surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 infections.
Highlights
The diagnosis of active SARS-CoV-2 infection is critical in epidemiological surveillance, infection control and contact tracing, clinical management, and for monitoring the impact of interventions against the spread of the virus
Current diagnostic tests fall into three main categories: molecular tests that detect the SARS-CoV-2 RNA, antigen tests that detect the presence of specific viral antigens, and serological tests that detect anti-SARS-CoV-2 immunoglobulins (Ig)
Laboratory testing for COVID-19 has been integral to public health efforts to control the spread of SARS-CoV-2 globally
Summary
The diagnosis of active SARS-CoV-2 infection is critical in epidemiological surveillance, infection control and contact tracing, clinical management, and for monitoring the impact of interventions against the spread of the virus. This review discusses the molecular, serological, and antigen diagnostic tools for detecting SARS-CoV-2 infections, their potential use for PoC diagnosis of COVID-19 (Table 1). Several NAAT tools have been developed to detect SARS-CoV-2 infections by amplifying the viral RNA from a wide range of sample types including nasal swabs and saliva samples.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
