Efficacy of a novel SARS-CoV-2 detection kit without RNA extraction and purification

Int J Infect Dis. 2020 Sep:98:16-17. doi: 10.1016/j.ijid.2020.06.074. Epub 2020 Jun 26.

Abstract

Rapid detection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is critical for the diagnosis of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and preventing the spread of the virus. A novel detection kit - the 2019 Novel Coronavirus Detection Kit (nCoV-DK) - halves the detection time by eliminating the steps of RNA extraction and purification. We evaluated the concordance between the nCoV-DK and direct PCR. The virus was detected in 53/71 specimens (74.6%) by direct PCR and in 55/71 specimens (77.5%) by nCoV-DK; the overall concordance rate was 94.4%: 95.2% for nasopharyngeal swab, 95.5% for saliva, and 85.7% for sputum. The nCoV-DK test effectively detects SARS-CoV-2 in all types of sample including saliva, while reducing the time required for detection, labor, and the risk of human error.

Keywords: COVID-19; PCR; SARS-CoV-2; Saliva.

MeSH terms

  • Betacoronavirus / genetics*
  • COVID-19
  • COVID-19 Testing
  • Clinical Laboratory Techniques / methods*
  • Coronavirus Infections / diagnosis*
  • Coronavirus Infections / virology*
  • Diagnostic Tests, Routine / methods*
  • Humans
  • Pandemics
  • Pneumonia, Viral / diagnosis*
  • Pneumonia, Viral / virology*
  • Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • RNA, Viral / isolation & purification
  • SARS-CoV-2
  • Saliva / virology
  • Sputum / virology

Substances

  • RNA, Viral