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. 2023 Jan 5;54(1):56-64.
doi: 10.1093/labmed/lmac030.

Evaluation of RT-LAMP Assay for Rapid Detection of SARS-CoV-2

Ya-Ping Li  1   2 , Xun-Jie Cao  1   3 , Xin Luo  1   3 , Tian-Ao Xie  1   3 , Wan-Jun Liu  1   2 , Shi-Ming Xie  1   4 , Min Lin  1   5 , Xu-Guang Guo  1   3   6   7   8
Affiliations

Evaluation of RT-LAMP Assay for Rapid Detection of SARS-CoV-2

Ya-Ping Li et al. Lab Med. .

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the accuracy of the reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP) assay for rapid detection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in community or primary-care settings.

Method: We systematically searched the Web of Science, Embase, PubMed, and Cochrane Library databases. We conducted quality evaluation using ReviewManager software (version 5.0). We then used MetaDisc software (version 1.4) and Stata software (version 12.0) to build forest plots, along with a Deeks funnel plot and a bivariate boxplot for analysis.

Result: Overall, the sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic odds ratio were 0.79, 0.97, and 328.18, respectively. The sensitivity for the subgroup with RNA extraction appeared to be higher, at 0.88 (0.86-0.90), compared to the subgroup without RNA extraction, at 0.50 (0.45-0.55), with no significant difference in specificity.

Conclusion: RT-LAMP assay exhibited high specificity regarding current SARS-CoV-2 infection. However, its overall sensitivity was relatively moderate. Extracting RNA was found to be beneficial in improving sensitivity.

Keywords: COVID-19; COVID-19 diagnostic testing; LAMP assay; SARS-CoV-2; meta-analysis; severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Flow diagram of study identification and inclusion.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Quality levels of the studies. A, Overall quality assessment of the included studies. B, Quality assessment of the individual studies.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Forest plots for reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification assay for coronavirus disease 2019 of the summary receiver operating characteristic (SROC) curve (A), diagnostic odds ratio (B), sensitivity (C), specificity (D), positive likelihood ratio (E), and negative likelihood ratio (F). AUC, area under the curve.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Forest plots for reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification assay for coronavirus disease 2019 of the summary receiver operating characteristic (SROC) curve (A), diagnostic odds ratio (B), sensitivity (C), specificity (D), positive likelihood ratio (E), and negative likelihood ratio (F). AUC, area under the curve.
Figure 4.
Figure 4.
Testing for reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification assay. A, Bivariate boxplot to perform heterogeneity testing. B, Deeks funnel plot asymmetry test to assess publication bias.
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