Department of Medical Laboratory Technology, College of Medical Technology, Bacha Khan Medical College, Mardan, Pakistan;
Department of Medical Laboratory Technology, The University of Haripur, Haripur, Pakistan.
Allergol Immunopathol (Madr). 2021 Jan 2;49(1):159-164. doi: 10.15586/aei.v49i1.60. eCollection 2021.
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a disease caused by a new strain of coronavirus named as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). Globally, since the outbreak, more than seven million confirmed cases of COVID-19 have been reported. The rapid spread and increase in the number of new cases is due to person-to-person transmission. To further control its transmission, early laboratory diagnosis of both asymptomatic and symptomatic patients is crucial. Presently, the COVID-19 diagnosis of infected individuals is dependent on computed tomography scanning and real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The latter is considered more sensitive and efficient for early diagnosis. In this review, general comparisons are made (cases, fatality rate, incubation period, clinical features, and reservoirs) and diagnostic laboratory procedures (specimens, extraction methods, and positive rates by real-time PCR) are compared between SARS, Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, and SARS-2. In total, 8982 SARS-2 suspected patients specimen data were retrieved, in which 40.9% (n = 3678) were detected as positive by real-time PCR. The specimen-wise high detection rate was observed from bronchoalveolar lavage, followed by saliva, nasal swabs, and sputum. As the COVID-19 cases are persistently increasing, the selection of appropriate specimens and laboratory assay would help in rapid and timely diagnosis.
新型冠状病毒病（COVID-19）是由一种名为严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒 2（SARS-CoV-2）的新型冠状病毒引起的疾病。在全球范围内，自疫情爆发以来，已报告超过 700 万例 COVID-19 确诊病例。COVID-19 病例的快速传播和新增病例的增加是由于人与人之间的传播。为了进一步控制其传播，对无症状和有症状患者进行早期实验室诊断至关重要。目前，COVID-19 感染个体的诊断依赖于计算机断层扫描和实时聚合酶链反应（PCR）。后者被认为对早期诊断更敏感和有效。在这篇综述中，对 SARS、中东呼吸综合征和 SARS-CoV-2 进行了一般比较（病例数、死亡率、潜伏期、临床特征和储主），并对诊断实验室程序（标本、提取方法和实时 PCR 的阳性率）进行了比较。共检索到 8982 例 SARS-CoV-2 疑似患者标本数据，其中实时 PCR 检测阳性 40.9%（n=3678）。从支气管肺泡灌洗液中观察到标本检测的高阳性率，其次是唾液、鼻拭子和痰。由于 COVID-19 病例持续增加，选择适当的标本和实验室检测方法将有助于快速及时的诊断。
