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Review
. 2020 Dec 29;13(1):40.
doi: 10.3390/v13010040.

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

Bruna Aparecida Souza Machado  1 , Katharine Valéria Saraiva Hodel  1 , Valdir Gomes Barbosa-Júnior  1 , Milena Botelho Pereira Soares  1   2 , Roberto Badaró  1
Affiliations
Review

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

Bruna Aparecida Souza Machado et al. Viruses. .

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.

Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; diagnostic; molecular testing; serology testing.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Overview of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) diagnosis using the quantitative reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) technique with respiratory tract specimens. Created with BioRender.com.
Figure 2
Figure 2
The main serological tests used for the diagnosis of COVID-19 and the main advantages and disadvantages related to these methods and their perspectives. Created with BioRender.com.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) overview: (a) main steps for the execution of the assay and (b) the main formats. Created with BioRender.com.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Time course of COVID-19 illness, considering the positivity variation over time in serological and nucleic acid-based tests for detection of SARS-CoV-2 infection. This figure was elaborated from the data contained in the work of Sethuraman et al. [213]. Created with BioRender.com.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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