Evaluation of loop-mediated isothermal amplification for detecting COVID-19

The emergence of SARS-CoV-2 has caused worldwide pandemic of COVID-19. Infection is difficult to diagnose early as some patients remain asymptomatic and may carry this virus to other people. Currently, qRT-PCR is the widely accepted mode for detection. However, the need for sophisticated instrument and trained personnel may hinder its application, especially in remote and facility-lacking areas. Reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP) may serve as a potential approach for detection of SARS-CoV-2 as the resources needed in its application is far less complex than those of qRT-PCR. Herein, we evaluated RT-LAMP based analytical method (COVIDNow), relative to qRT-PCR, in detecting SARS-CoV-2 by using 63 clinical respiratory samples. Based on our finding, COVIDNow exhibited sensitivity and specificity values of 87.5% and 80.6%, respectively. Taken together, RT-LAMP based detection of SARS-CoV-2 by utilizing COVIDNow might serves as a valuable diagnostic tool in the management of global COVID-19 pandemic condition.