Massive and rapid COVID-19 testing is feasible by extraction-free SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR
Karolinska Institutet · Karolinska University Hospital · +1 more institution
Abstract
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), is commonly diagnosed by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) to detect viral RNA in patient samples, but RNA extraction constitutes a major bottleneck in current testing. Methodological simplification could increase diagnostic availability and efficiency, benefitting patient care and infection control. Here, we describe methods circumventing RNA extraction in COVID-19 testing by performing RT-PCR directly on heat-inactivated or lysed samples. Our data, including benchmarking using 597 clinical patient samples and a standardised diagnostic system, demonstrate that direct RT-PCR is…
Citation impact
- FWCI
- 9.94
- Percentile
- 100%
- References
- 16
Authors
13Topics & keywords
- RNA extraction
- Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)
- Virology
- Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)
- RNA
- Polymerase chain reaction
- Real-time polymerase chain reaction
- Coronavirus
- Good health and well-being