A Streamlined Approach to Rapidly Detect SARS-CoV-2 Infection Avoiding RNA Extraction: Workflow Validation.
Dis Markers
; 2020: 8869424, 2020.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1024275
ABSTRACT
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection has rapidly spread worldwide from the beginning of 2020. The presence of viral RNA in samples by nucleic acid (NA) molecular analysis is the only method available to diagnose COVID-19 disease and to assess patients' viral load. Since the demand for laboratory reagents has increased, there has been a worldwide shortage of RNA extraction kits. We, therefore, developed a fast and cost-effective viral genome isolation method that, combined with quantitative RT-PCR assay, detects SARS-CoV-2 RNA in patient samples. The method relies on the addition of Proteinase K followed by a controlled heat-shock incubation and, then, E gene evaluation by RT-qPCR. It was validated for sensitivity, specificity, linearity, reproducibility, and precision. It detects as low as 10 viral copies/sample, is rapid, and has been characterized in 60 COVID-19-infected patients. Compared to automated extraction methods, our pretreatment guarantees the same positivity rate with the advantage of shortening the time of the analysis and reducing its cost. This is a rapid workflow meant to aid the healthcare system in the rapid identification of infected patients, such as during a pathogen-related outbreak. For its intrinsic characteristics, this workflow is suitable for large-scale screenings.
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
RNA, Viral
/
Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
/
COVID-19 Testing
/
SARS-CoV-2
Type of study:
Diagnostic study
/
Experimental Studies
/
Prognostic study
Limits:
Humans
Language:
English
Journal:
Dis Markers
Journal subject:
Biochemistry
Year:
2020
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
2020
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