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Diagnostic techniques for COVID-19 and new developments

Sheikhzadeh E 1 , Eissa S 2 , Ismail A 1 , Zourob M 3

Affiliations 

  • 1 Institute for Research in Molecular Medicine (INFORMM), Health Campus, Universiti Sains Malaysia16150 Kubang Kerian, Kelantan, Malaysia
  • 2 Department of Chemistry, Alfaisal University, Al Zahrawi Street, Al Maather, Al Takhassusi Road, Riyadh, 11533, Saudi Arabia
  • 3 Department of Chemistry, Alfaisal University, Al Zahrawi Street, Al Maather, Al Takhassusi Road, Riyadh, 11533, Saudi Arabia; King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, Zahrawi Street, Al Maather, Riyadh, 12713, Saudi Arabia. Electronic address: mzourob@alfaisal.edu
Talanta, 2020 Dec 01;220:121392.
PMID: 32928412 DOI: 10.1016/j.talanta.2020.121392

Abstract

COVID-19 pandemic is a serious global health issue today due to the rapid human to human transmission of SARS-CoV-2, a new type of coronavirus that causes fatal pneumonia. SARS -CoV-2 has a faster rate of transmission than other coronaviruses such as SARS and MERS and until now there are no approved specific drugs or vaccines for treatment. Thus, early diagnosis is crucial to prevent the extensive spread of the disease. The reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) is the most routinely used method until now to detect SARS-CoV-2 infections. However, several other faster and accurate assays are being developed for the diagnosis of COVID-19 aiming to control the spread of infection through the identification of patients and immediate isolation. In this review, we will discuss the various detection methods of the SARS-CoV-2 virus including the recent developments in immunological assays, amplification techniques as well as biosensors.

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

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