Pathogenesis of COVID-19 and the quality control of nucleic acid detection.

The new coronavirus pneumonia (COVID-19) epidemic spread rapidly throughout the world. Considering the strong infectivity and clustering of COVID-19, early detection of infectious cases is of great significance to control the epidemic. Nucleic acid testing (NAT) plays an important role in rapid laboratory diagnosis, treatment assessment, epidemic prevention and control of COVID-19. However, since COVID-19 is caused by a new emerging virus and NAT for COVID-19 has not been clinically applied before, false negative results inconsistent with clinical diagnosis have appeared in clinical practice. Therefore, it is urgent to improve the sensitivity of NAT for COVID-19. This study aimed to summarize the current situation and prospect of NAT based on the latest findings on COVID-19 infection. Also, the quality control of sample collection was discussed. Hopefully, this study could help to improve the effectiveness of NAT for COVID-19. • The entry of SARS-CoV-2 into host cells requires S protein and ACE2 on cell membrane. • Most COVID-19 NAT kits can detect three or two gene fragments (ORF1ab and core-shell protein gene N fragment). • RT-PCR is a major clinically diagnostic method for COVID-19. • Standardizing specimen preparation, test operation, and results interpretation can ensure the test accuracy and reliability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]