Accurate Interpretation of SARS-CoV-2 Antigen Detection by Immunochromatography

SARS-CoV-2 is a serious infectious respiratory virus that can cause lung, heart, kidney, and liver damage and even cause death. Early diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection is vital for epidemic prevention and control. At present, the gold standard of COVID-19 diagnosis is nucleic acid detection of SARS-CoV-2. However, the nucleic acid detection of SARS-CoV-2 requires high site requirements and technology requirements, and the detection is time-consuming and cannot fully meet clinical needs. Although SARS-CoV-2 antigen test results cannot be directly used to diagnose COVID-19, positive results can be used for the early triage and rapid management of suspected populations. However, due to the limitations of the methodology itself, the SARS-CoV-2 antigen test is prone to produce false-positive and false-negative results in the process of detection. It is urgent to develop a batch of SARS-CoV-2 antigen reagents based on new detection technology and detection principles to overcome the defects of existing technologies.

Automated summary

SARS-CoV-2 is a serious respiratory virus that can cause severe damage and even death. Early diagnosis is crucial, and the current gold standard is nucleic acid detection. However, this method has limitations in terms of requirements and time-consuming process. Antigen tests, while not diagnostic, have potential for early triage. Improvements in detection technology and reagents are urgently needed to overcome current limitations.