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The US CDC's COVID-19 laboratory test kit. COVID-19 testing involves analyzing samples to assess the current or past presence of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that cases COVID-19 and is responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic. The two main types of tests detect either the presence of the virus or antibodies produced in response to infection.
A strip of eight PCR tubes, each containing a 100 μL reaction mixture Placing a strip of eight PCR tubes into a thermal cycler. The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a method widely used to make millions to billions of copies of a specific DNA sample rapidly, allowing scientists to amplify a very small sample of DNA (or a part of it) sufficiently to enable detailed study.
Reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP) is a one step nucleic acid amplification method to multiply specific sequences of RNA. It is used to diagnose infectious disease caused by RNA viruses. [1] It combines LAMP [2] DNA-detection with reverse transcription, making cDNA from RNA before running the reaction. [3]
The development of COVID-19 tests was a major public health priority during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic. In January 2020, scientists from China published the first genetic sequences of SARS-CoV-2 via virological.org , [ 3 ] a "hub for prepublication data designed to assist with public health activities and research". [ 4 ]
A real-time polymerase chain reaction (real-time PCR, or qPCR when used quantitatively) is a laboratory technique of molecular biology based on the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). It monitors the amplification of a targeted DNA molecule during the PCR (i.e., in real time), not at its end, as in conventional PCR. Real-time PCR can be used ...
Multiple displacement amplification (MDA) is a DNA amplification technique. This method can rapidly amplify minute amounts of DNA samples to a reasonable quantity for genomic analysis. The reaction starts by annealing random hexamer primers to the template: DNA synthesis is carried out by a high fidelity enzyme, preferentially Φ29 DNA polymerase.
The reliance upon Taq polymerase as a catalyst for the PCR replication process has been highlighted during the COVID-19 Pandemic of 2020. Shortages of the necessary enzyme have impaired the ability of countries worldwide to produce test kits for the virus. Without Taq polymerase, the disease detection process is much slower and tedious. [25]
Chimeric polymerases overcome many limitations of native enzymes and are used in direct PCR amplification from cell cultures and even food samples, thus by-passing laborious DNA isolation steps. A robust strand-displacement activity of the hybrid TopoTaq polymerase helps solve PCR problems that can be caused by hairpins and G-loaded double ...