RT-PCR is a sensitive technique for RNA detection, whereby RNA is reverse transcribed into complementary DNA (cDNA) and cDNA targets specific for the pathogen of interest are amplified. 3 Currently, this is the main type of test being utilized to determine whether patients are infected with SARS-CoV-2.ĪNP swabs are difficult to access using this method. Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) is a common laboratory technique used to detect respiratory viral pathogens, such as influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). In this context, a molecular assay is used to determine whether a patient is actively infected with the pathogen of interest. The 3 categories of tests used to detect current or past viral infection are molecular, serologic, and antigen-detection assays ( Table 1). ![]() 2 Since the beginning of the outbreak, clinical laboratories have been developing various assays to aid in detecting SARS-CoV-2 and clinically managing patients with COVID-19. 1 Since that time, SARS-CoV-2 has spread worldwide, causing a severe illness known as COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019), which led the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare it a pandemic on March 11, 2020. Ultimately, the 2019 novel coronavirus, or SARS-CoV-2, was identified as the causative agent and subsequently isolated and sequenced. Beginning in December 2019, an outbreak of “pneumonia of unknown cause” was detected in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China.
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