Current approaches in laboratory testing for SARS-CoV-2
In this “short communication” from the International Journal of Infectious Diseases, Xu et al. provide a succinct review of the currently available laboratory testing technologies used to verify COVID-19 infection in patients. The authors review viral cultures, whole genome sequencing, real-time RT-PCR, isothermal amplification, and serological testing, as well as point-of-care testing utilizing one of those methods. They also discuss the sample types that should be collected, and at what stage they are most effective. They close by noting that choosing “a diagnostic assay for COVID-19 should take the characteristics and advantages of various technologies, as well as different clinical scenarios and requirements, into full consideration.”
