State Key Laboratory of Molecular Vaccinology and Molecular Diagnostics, National Institute of Diagnostics and Vaccine Development in Infectious Diseases, Strait Collaborative Innovation Center of Biomedicine and Pharmaceutics, School of Public Health, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, China.
Curr Opin HIV AIDS. 2020 Nov;15(6):345-350. doi: 10.1097/COH.0000000000000649.
To discuss the diagnosis of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection by nucleic acid and antibody testing as well as its contribution to mitigating the spread of coronavirus disease 2019.
Nucleic acid testing (NAT) is the firstly developed and most widely used diagnostic technique for SARS-CoV-2 infection. However, the sensitivity of SARS-CoV-2 RNA NAT assays is always unsatisfactory, mainly due to insufficient viral RNA in samples, especially when upper respiratory samples were used. Compared with NAT assays, serological tests are more convenient and less dependent on the quality of sample collection. But the sensitivity of antibody assays varies largely to test samples collected at different time after onset of symptoms. The diagnostic sensitivity can be significantly improved by combination of RNA and antibody testing. Due to the lack of effective drugs and vaccines, population prevention results mainly from timely triage and quarantine of SARS-CoV-2 infected individuals. Thus, extensive testing with NAT and antibody assays simultaneously is very important to constrain coronavirus disease 2019 epidemic.
Viral RNA testing combining with serological testing could improve the early diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection, which has great value for clinical practice and public health.
讨论通过核酸和抗体检测诊断严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒 2（SARS-CoV-2）感染，以及其对减轻 2019 年冠状病毒病传播的贡献。
核酸检测（NAT）是首先开发并广泛用于 SARS-CoV-2 感染诊断的技术。然而，SARS-CoV-2 RNA NAT 检测的灵敏度始终不尽人意，主要是由于样本中病毒 RNA 不足，尤其是使用上呼吸道样本时。与 NAT 检测相比，血清学检测更方便，对样本采集质量的依赖性更小。但抗体检测对不同症状发作后采集的检测样本的灵敏度差异很大。通过 RNA 和抗体检测联合，可以显著提高诊断的灵敏度。由于缺乏有效的药物和疫苗，人群预防主要来自对 SARS-CoV-2 感染个体的及时分诊和隔离。因此，广泛地同时进行 NAT 和抗体检测对于控制 2019 年冠状病毒病的流行非常重要。
病毒 RNA 检测结合血清学检测可提高 SARS-CoV-2 感染的早期诊断，这对临床实践和公共卫生具有重要价值。
