Diagnostic Strategies of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Infection: Operational Recommendations for Health Professionals
Rafat Zrieq
Department of Public Health, College of Public Health and Health Informatics, University of Ha'il, Ha'il, Saudi Arabia.
Asma M. Khemakhem
Department of Biology, Faculty of Science of Sfax, University of Sfax, Sfax, Tunisia.
Najoua Haouas
Laboratory of Medical and Molecular Parasitology-Mycology LP3M (code LR12ES08), Department of Clinical Biology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Monastir, Tunisia.
Mohammed G. M. Zeariya
Department of Public Health, College of Public Health and Health Informatics, University of Ha'il, Ha'il, Saudi Arabia and Department of Zoology and Entomology, Faculty of Science (Boys), Al-Azhar University, Egypt.
Fares Alshammari
Department of Health Informatics, College of Public Health and Health Informatics, University of Ha'il, Ha'il, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Fahad D. Algahtani *
Department of Public Health, College of Public Health and Health Informatics, University of Ha'il, Ha'il, Saudi Arabia and Molecular Diagnostic and Personalised Therapeutics Unit, University of Ha'il, Ha'il, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Due to the massive impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic worldwide, the accurate and early diagnosis and isolation of infected individuals remains the main way of rapidly curtailing the extension of the disease. The increasing incidence of mutations in the virus RNA sequence represents the principal challenge for the use of molecular approaches for COVID-19 diagnosis. Additionally, because severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spreads differently to that of its Coronaviridae counterparts, unconventional strategies and diagnostic algorithms must be utilized and comprehensively expanded. Therefore, in this study, we sought to conduct a detailed in-depth investigation using many scientific interfaces to i) determine the fastest, most cost-effective, and most comprehensive diagnostic techniques, and ii) identify the proper specimens used for SARS-CoV-2 detection. To accomplish that, we reviewed previous studies investigated for the diagnosis of COVID-19. These strategies are organized to help health professionals and policymakers to quickly choose and apply the appropriate diagnostic approaches.
Keywords: Diagnosis, SARS-CoV-2, molecular tests, serological tests, pneumonia