A review on current diagnostic techniques for COVID-19

Expert Rev Mol Diagn. 2021 Feb;21(2):141-160. doi: 10.1080/14737159.2021.1886927. Epub 2021 Mar 18.

Abstract

Introduction: SARS-Cov-2 first appeared in Wuhan, China, in December 2019 and spread all over the world soon after that. Given the infectious nature ofSARS-CoV-2, fast and accurate diagnosis tools are important to detect the virus. In this review, we discuss the different diagnostic tests that are currently being implemented in laboratories and provide a description of various COVID-19 kits.

Areas covered: We summarize molecular techniques that target the viral load, serological methods used for SARS-CoV-2 specific antibodies detection as well as newly developed faster assays for the detection of SARS-COV 2 in various biological samples.

Expert opinion: In the light of the widespread pandemic, the massive diagnosis of COVID-19, using various detection techniques, appears to be the most effective strategy for monitoring and containing its propagation.

Keywords: SARS-COV-2; diagnostic; kits; molecular techniques; serological methods.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Antibodies, Viral / immunology
  • Biosensing Techniques
  • COVID-19 / diagnosis*
  • COVID-19 Nucleic Acid Testing / methods*
  • COVID-19 Nucleic Acid Testing / trends*
  • COVID-19 Serological Testing / methods*
  • COVID-19 Serological Testing / trends*
  • CRISPR-Cas Systems
  • Clinical Laboratory Techniques
  • Humans
  • Immunoassay
  • Immunoglobulin G / immunology
  • Immunoglobulin M / immunology
  • Laboratories
  • Radiography, Thoracic
  • Reagent Kits, Diagnostic
  • Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Tomography, X-Ray Computed

Substances

  • Antibodies, Viral
  • Immunoglobulin G
  • Immunoglobulin M
  • Reagent Kits, Diagnostic