The Main Molecular and Serological Methods for Diagnosing COVID-19: An Overview Based on the Literature

Overview

Journal Viruses

Publisher MDPI

Specialty Microbiology

Date 2021 Jan 1

PMID 33383888

Citations 36

Authors

Bruna Aparecida Souza Machado

Katharine Valeria Saraiva Hodel

Valdir Gomes Barbosa-Junior

Milena Botelho Pereira Soares

Roberto Badaro

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Diagnostic tests have been considered as the main alternative for the control of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), as a correct diagnosis allows for decision making when facing the disease, particularly as there is a lack of effective therapeutic protocols and vaccines. Thus, in this review, we summarized the main diagnostic approaches currently available for the diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection in humans based on studies available in article databases. The tests can be organized into two main categories: nucleic acid-based tests, recommended for the initial detection of the virus, and serological tests, recommended for assessing the disease progression. The studies have shown that the performance of diagnostic methods depends on different factors, such as the type of samples and the characteristics of each assay. It was identified that the positivity of the tests is mainly related to the onset of symptoms. We also observed that point-of-care diagnoses are considered as one of the main trends in this area, due to the low-cost and simplicity of the assay; however, the analytical performance must be critically analyzed. Thus, the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the critical role of diagnostic technologies in the control of infectious diseases.

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