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Current status of COVID-19 diagnostic methods
Current status of COVID-19 diagnostic methods
Eduardo Becerril-Vargas 1 
, Mario A. Mújica-Sánchez 1 , Mayte Mesinas-Garrido 1 , Eduardo García-Castrejón 1 , Carlos Ocampo-Ramírez 1 , Luis A. Solís-Díaz 1 , Kenny A. Cantón-Cruz 1
1 Laboratorio de Microbiología Clínica, Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Respiratorias Ismael Cosío Villegas, Ciudad de México, México
*Correspondence: Eduardo Becerril-Vargas. Email: edobec.var@gmail.com
Abstract
The diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection was an essential component for controlling the COVID-19 pandemic. Diagnostic methods are primarily grouped into molecular tests, antigen detection tests, and serological tests, each with specific applications and limitations depending on the phase of the infection. Molecular tests, such as real-time reverse transcriptionpolymerase chain reaction (rRT-PCR), continue to be considered the gold standard for etiological diagnosis due to their high sensitivity and specificity. However, this assay requires numerous manual steps that are time-consuming and error-prone, a situation that led to the development of alternative methods. These alternatives have been utilized and have even demonstrated higher diagnostic performance than the test adopted as the preferred standard throughout the pandemic. The objective is to describe the known diagnostic methods and the alternative tests developed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Keywords: Conavirus. SARS-CoV-2. COVID-19. Antigen test. RT PCR.
