Optimization and clinical validation of colorimetric reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification, a fast, highly sensitive and specific COVID-19 molecular diagnostic tool that is robust to detect SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic unfolded due to the widespread severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) transmission reinforced the urgent need for affordable molecular diagnostic alternative methods for massive testing screening. We present the clinical validati...
| Autores: | , , , , , , , |
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| Tipo de recurso: | artículo |
| Estado: | Versión publicada |
| Fecha de publicación: | 2021 |
| País: | Brasil |
| Institución: | Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG) |
| Repositorio: | Repositório Institucional da UFMG |
| Idioma: | portugués |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:repositorio.ufmg.br:1843/58693 |
| Acceso en línea: | https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2021.713713 http://hdl.handle.net/1843/58693 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4879-1345 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1419-5713 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4688-2462 |
| Access Level: | acceso abierto |
| Palabra clave: | COVID - 19 RT-LAMP SARS-CoV-2 Molecular test Respiratory virus Diagnostic Test COVID-19 Vírus sinciciais respiratórios |
| Sumario: | The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic unfolded due to the widespread severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) transmission reinforced the urgent need for affordable molecular diagnostic alternative methods for massive testing screening. We present the clinical validation of a pH-dependent colorimetric reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP) for SARS-CoV-2 detection. The method revealed a limit of detection of 19.3 ± 2.7 viral genomic copies/μL when using RNA extracted samples obtained from nasopharyngeal swabs collected in guanidine-containing viral transport medium. Typical RT-LAMP reactions were performed at 65°C for 30 min. When compared to reverse transcriptase–quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), up to cycle-threshold (Ct) value 32, RT-LAMP presented 98% [95% confidence interval (CI) = 95.3–99.5%] sensitivity and 100% (95% CI = 94.5–100%) specificity for SARS-CoV-2 RNA detection targeting E and N genes. No cross-reactivity was detected when testing other non–SARS-CoV virus, confirming high specificity. The test is compatible with primary RNA extraction–free samples. We also demonstrated that colorimetric RT-LAMP can detect SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern and variants of interest, such as variants occurring in Brazil named gamma (P.1), zeta (P.2), delta (B.1.617.2), B.1.1.374, and B.1.1.371. The method meets point-of-care requirements and can be deployed in the field for high-throughput COVID-19 testing campaigns, especially in countries where COVID-19 testing efforts are far from ideal to tackle the pandemics. Although RT-qPCR is considered the gold standard for SARS-CoV-2 RNA detection, it requires expensive equipment, infrastructure, and highly trained personnel. In contrast, RT-LAMP emerges as an affordable, inexpensive, and simple alternative for SARS-CoV-2 molecular detection that can be applied to massive COVID-19 testing campaigns and save lives. |
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