Performance of Reverse Transcription Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification (RT-LAMP) Targeting the RNA Polymerase Gene for the Direct Detection of SARS-CoV2 in Nasopharyngeal Swabs

In 2020, a global pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 was declared. Different institutes proposed diagnostic molecular methods to detect the virus in clinical samples. This study aims to validate and standardize the use of a loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP)-based methodology targeting the viral RP gene, as a faster and low-cost diagnostic method for SARS-CoV-2 infections. The results obtained with RT-LAMP (Reverse Transcriptase) were compared to the results of real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) to assess its sensitivity and specificity. In total, 115 samples (nasopharyngeal samples) were used for detecting SARS-CoV-2 by RT-LAMP, with 43 positives and 72 negatives. The study showed a positive predictive value (PPV) of 90.7% and a negative predictive value (VPN) of 100%. The LAMP assay also demonstrated a high sensitivity of 90.7% and a specificity of 100% (confidence interval 77.9-97.4%) when using the lower detection limit of 40 copies/µL. The RT-LAMP described here has the potential to detect even the new variants of SARS-CoV-2, suggesting that it may not be significantly affected by gene mutations. The RT-LAMP targeting the RP viral region is faster and less expensive than other molecular approaches, making it an alternative for developing countries.