Apr 13 Clinical laboratory and SARS-CoV-2 infection: where do we stand?
Posted at 12: 53h
in COVID-19
Claudio Galli and Mario Plebani
ABSTRACT
The current indication for clinical laboratory diagnosis in these first weeks of the emergence of the SARS-CoV-2 epidemic is essentially directed at virological aspects such as molecular tests based on RT-PCR.
In addition to nucleic acid amplification techniques, this document mentions serology tests, namely assays to detect SARS-CoV-2-specific antibodies, as one of the next research priorities. While some trials are already available, several topics are under research and discussion:
- Dynamics of the immune response.
- Development and validation of the usefulness of serological assays.
- Comparative studies of available molecular studies and serological assays.
- The eventual role of antibodies in protective immunity.