Performance of colorimetric reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification as a diagnostic tool for SARS-CoV-2 infection during the fourth wave of COVID-19 in Thailand
Issued Date
2022-03-01
Resource Type
ISSN
12019712
eISSN
18783511
Scopus ID
2-s2.0-85123107317
Pubmed ID
34958929
Journal Title
International Journal of Infectious Diseases
Volume
116
Start Page
133
End Page
137
Rights Holder(s)
SCOPUS
Bibliographic Citation
International Journal of Infectious Diseases Vol.116 (2022) , 133-137
Suggested Citation
Promlek T. Performance of colorimetric reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification as a diagnostic tool for SARS-CoV-2 infection during the fourth wave of COVID-19 in Thailand. International Journal of Infectious Diseases Vol.116 (2022) , 133-137. 137. doi:10.1016/j.ijid.2021.12.351 Retrieved from: https://repository.li.mahidol.ac.th/handle/20.500.14594/86088
Title
Performance of colorimetric reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification as a diagnostic tool for SARS-CoV-2 infection during the fourth wave of COVID-19 in Thailand
Author(s)
Author's Affiliation
Other Contributor(s)
Abstract
Background: COVID-19, which is caused by SARS-CoV-2 and its variants, poses an ongoing global threat, particularly in low-immunization coverage regions. Thus, rapid, accurate, and easy-to-perform diagnostic methods are in urgent demand to halt the spread of the virus. Objectives: We aimed to validate the clinical performance of the FastProof 30 min-TTR SARS-CoV-2 reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP) method using leftover RNA samples extracted from 315 nasopharyngeal swabs. The sensitivity and specificity of RT-LAMP were determined in comparison with reverse transcriptase–polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Results: Of 315 nasopharyngeal swabs, viral RNA was detected in 154 samples (48.9%) by RT-PCR assay. Compared with RT-PCR, overall sensitivity and specificity of RT-LAMP were 81.82% (95% CI: 74.81–87.57) and 100% (95% CI: 97.73–100), respectively. A 100% positivity rate was achieved in samples with cycle threshold (Ct) <31 for RT-PCR targeting the ORF1ab gene. However, samples with Ct >31 accounted for false-negative results by RT-LAMP in 28 samples. Conclusions: RT-LAMP reliably detected viral RNA with high sensitivity and specificity and has potential application for mass screening of patients with acute COVID-19 infection when viral load is high.