The outlook for diagnostic purposes of the 2019-novel coronavirus disease

J Cell Physiol. 2020 Dec;235(12):9211-9229. doi: 10.1002/jcp.29804. Epub 2020 May 26.

Abstract

At the end of December 2019, a novel acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV2) appeared as the third unheard of outbreak of human coronavirus infection in the 21st century. First, in Wuhan, China, the novel SARS-CoV2 was named by the World Health Organization (WHO), as 2019-nCOV (COVID-19), and spread extremely all over the world. SARS-CoV2 is transmitted to individuals by human-to-human transmission leading to severe viral pneumonia and respiratory system injury. SARS-CoV2 elicits infections from the common cold to severe conditions accompanied by lung injury, acute respiratory distress syndrome, and other organ destruction. There is a possibility of virus transmission from asymptomatic cases as active carriers, in addition to symptomatic ones, which is a crucial crisis of COVID-19 that should be considered. Hence, paying more attention to the accurate and immediate diagnosis of suspected and infected cases can be a great help in preventing the rapid spread of the virus, improving the disease prognosis, and controlling the pandemic. In this review, we provide a comprehensive and up-to-date overview of the different types of Clinical and Para-clinical diagnostic methods and their practical features, which can help understand better the applications and capacities of various diagnostic approaches for COVID-19 infected cases.

Keywords: COVID-19; diagnosis; molecular assays; radiological findings; serological assays.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Betacoronavirus / pathogenicity*
  • COVID-19
  • COVID-19 Testing
  • China / epidemiology
  • Clinical Laboratory Techniques*
  • Coronavirus / drug effects
  • Coronavirus / pathogenicity
  • Coronavirus Infections / diagnosis*
  • Coronavirus Infections / drug therapy*
  • Coronavirus Infections / epidemiology
  • Coronavirus Infections / prevention & control
  • Coronavirus Infections / virology
  • Humans
  • Pandemics / prevention & control
  • Pneumonia, Viral / diagnosis*
  • Pneumonia, Viral / drug therapy*
  • Pneumonia, Viral / prevention & control
  • SARS-CoV-2