Open AccessMolecular and antigen tests, and sample types for diagnosis of COVID-19: a review
Author(s) -
Yujia Zhang,
Rachael Garner,
Sana Salehi,
Marianna La Rocca,
Dominique Duncan
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
future virology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.462
H-Index - 34
eISSN - 1746-0808
pISSN - 1746-0794
DOI - 10.2217/fvl-2021-0256
Subject(s) - covid-19 , medicine , gold standard (test) , saliva , false negative reactions , immunology , virology , outbreak , disease , infectious disease (medical specialty)
Laboratory tests seeking to improve detection of COVID-19 have been widely developed by laboratories and commercial companies. This review provides an overview of molecular and antigen tests, presents the sensitivity and specificity for 329 assays that have received US FDA Emergency Use Authorization and evaluates six sample collection methods - nasal, nasopharyngeal, oropharyngeal swabs, saliva, blood and stool. Molecular testing is preferred for diagnosis of COVID-19, but negative results do not always rule out the presence of infection, especially when clinical suspicion is high. Sensitivity and specificity ranged from 88.1 to 100% and 88 to 100%, respectively. Antigen tests may be more easy to use and rapid. However, they have reported a wide range of detection sensitivities from 16.7 to 85%, which may potentially yield many false-negative results.