Laboratory Diagnosis of Novel Human Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) Infections-A Review

COVID-19 is a pandemic, highly contagious infectious disease caused by the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Corona virus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). The World Health Organization has declared the ongoing outbreak a global public health emergency. This disease has spread rapidly and affected millions of people worldwide. Currently, there are no specific clinical signs or symptoms of SARS that can be used to differentiate it from other causes of community- or hospital-acquired viral pneumonia. Accurate diagnosis of cases holds the key to managing any pandemic through identification, isolation, and treatment of patients while defining the epidemiology of the pathogen. Because an increasing number of asymptomatic symptomatic individuals must be tested for COVID-19, a safe and efficient screening system is required. The diagnosis of suspected cases is presently confirmed by nucleic acid assays with real-time PCR using respiratory samples. On the other side, serological tests are comparatively easier to perform, but their utility may be limited by their ease of performance and the fact that antibodies appear later in the disease course. This review is aimed at summarizing the currently available information on different methods used for screening and diagnosing COVID-19 infections.