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  • Diagnostic value of using a...
    Zhao, Kaochang; Ai, Li; Zhao, Yang; Wang, Tao; Zheng, Zhishui; Zeng, Shaolin; Ding, Xuhong; Hu, Suping; Nie, Hanxiang

    Epidemiology and infection, 02/2021, Volume: 149
    Journal Article

    Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a newly emerged disease with various clinical manifestations and imaging features. The diagnosis of COVID-19 depends on a positive nucleic acid amplification test by real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). However, the clinical manifestations and imaging features of COVID-19 are non-specific, and nucleic acid test for SARS-CoV-2 can have false-negative results. It is presently believed that detection of specific antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 is an effective screening and diagnostic indicator for SARS-CoV-2 infection. Thus, a combination of nucleic acid and specific antibody tests for SARS-CoV-2 will be more effective to diagnose COVID-19, especially to exclude suspected cases.