Table 2.
Overview of the relevant specifications of the different detection methods discussed in this study.
| Specificity4 | Sensitivity4 | Ease of use4 | Analysis time4 | Throughput4 | Multiplex capacity5 | Quantification5 | Point of care5 | Cost6 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cultivation-based method | * | *** | *** | * | * | N | Y/N | N | € |
| Immunoassays1 | |||||||||
| ELISA | ** | * | *** | *** | *** | N | Y | N | €€ |
| LFIA | ** | * | **** | **** | * | N | N | Y | € |
| PCR2 | |||||||||
| cPCR | ** | ** | ** | ** | * | N | N | N | €€ |
| mPCR | ** | *(*) | ** | ** | * | Y | N | N | €€ |
| qPCR | *** | *** | ** | *** | *** | Y/N | Y | N | €€ |
| ddPCR | *** | **** | * | ** | ** | Y/N | Y | N | €€ |
| Isothermal amplification3 | |||||||||
| LAMP | *** | ** | *** | **** | * | N | N | Y | € |
| RPA | ** | ** | *** | **** | * | Y/N | Y/N | Y | € |
| Hybridization | |||||||||
| Macroarrays | *** | ** | * | * | * | Y | Y/N | N | €€€ |
| CRISPR-Cas | ***(*) | ***(*) | ** | ***(*) | * | Y/N | Y/N | Y | € |
| Sequencing | |||||||||
| Metagenomics | **** | ** | * | *(*) | **** | Y | Y/N | N | €€€€ |
| Amplicon sequencing | *** | *** | * | *(*) | **** | Y | Y/N | N | € |
| Biosensors | **(*) | **(*) | *** | **** | * | Y/N | Y | Y | € |
1 ELISA, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay; LFIA, lateral flow immunoassay.
2 cPCR, conventional PCR; mPCR, multiplex PCR; qPCR, quantitative PCR; ddPCR, digital droplet PCR.
3 LAMP, loop-mediated isothermal amplification; RPA, recombinase polymerase amplification.
4 The number of asterisks is a measure for the performance of the techniques with regard to each property (*moderate; **good; ***very good; ****excellent). An asterisk between brackets (*) indicates that depending on which approach is taken, the performance in that aspect is increased.
5 For each technique it is indicated if multiplexing, quantification, or use at point-of-care is possible (Y), limited (Y/N) or not (N).
6 The number of € symbols is a measure for the analysis cost, based on a survey of routine laboratories: € (0-50 EUR), €€ (50-100 EUR), €€€ (100-150 EUR), and €€€€ (+150 EUR).