TABLE 4.

Diagnostic methods for SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Test	Type of sample	Pros and cons	References
RT-PCR	Nasopharyngeal smear or saliva. Collection within 7 days of symptoms	Gold standard test for detecting SARS-CoV-2. The accuracy of the test depends on the stage of the disease and the degree of viral multiplication. Higher sensitivities are reported depending on which genetic targets are used in performing the test	Xiao et al., 2020; Zou et al., 2020; Erster et al., 2021
Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) IgM, IgA, IgG	Serum	Useful for diagnosing previous infections. Important for population serological surveillance and research activities. It is not useful for diagnosing acute infection. Descending titles over time (2–3 months)	Huang A. T. et al., 2020; Huang M. et al., 2020; Krajewski et al., 2020; Li et al., 2020; Lucas et al., 2020; Bichara et al., 2021
Lateral flow immunoassay (LFIA) (Antigen or antibody)	Nasal or nazopharinzeal smear, serum or whole blood	Detects acute infection through the presence of viral antigens. Previous infection by detection of antibodies. Average time 15–20 min. Low cost. Low sensitivity and specificity of 56.2 and 99.5%, respectively	Canetti et al., 2020; Dinnes et al., 2020; Prazuck et al., 2020
Loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP)	Nasal or nazopharinzeal smear	The accuracy of the test depends on the stage of the disease and the degree of viral multiplication. Highly effective, fast results, and limited cost	Broughton et al., 2020; Huang W. E. et al., 2020; Bektaş et al., 2021; Jones et al., 2021; Juscamayta-López et al., 2021
CRISPR/Cas	Nasal or nazopharinzeal smear	High sensitivity and specificity rates and low analysis costs. With 100% sensitivity and specificity	Broughton et al., 2020; Hou et al., 2020; Lucia et al., 2020
Biosensors	Nazopharinzeal smear	Tecnologia rápida e altamente sensível. Ausência de reatividade cruzada com outros coronavirus	Seo et al., 2020; Zhao et al., 2021