ArticlePLoS biology2020
Direct RT-qPCR detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA from patient nasopharyngeal swabs without an RNA extraction step.
Article in PLoS biology, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 120 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
120 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 198 citations in OpenAlex.
- Diagnostic performances of common nucleic acid tests for SARS-CoV-2 in hospitals and clinics: a systematic review and meta-analysis.The Lancet. Microbe · 2021Pooled it
- Simpler and faster Covid-19 testing: Strategies to streamline SARS-CoV-2 molecular assays.EBioMedicine · 2021Trial
- Development of a Direct Cell-to-PCR Lysis Buffer Using Optimized Non-Ionic Detergents for RNA-Extraction-Free RT-qPCR.Methods and protocols · 2026Article
- Direct quantification of waterborne viruses via high-temperature and high-pressure treatment: a simplified nucleic acid extraction-free approach.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Comparative Evaluation of Rapid Nucleic Acids Extraction Methods for Biosensor-Based Point-of-Care Solutions.Biosensors · 2026Article
- Endogenous Biomarkers Analysis and False-Negative Results for SARSCov2 Using two Commercial RT-PCR Diagnostic Kits.Iranian journal of pathology · 2026Article
- Validation of H5 influenza virus subtyping RT-qPCR assay and low prevalence of H5 detection in 2024-2025 influenza virus season.Journal of clinical microbiology · 2025Article
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- Variant mutation G215C in SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid enhances viral infection via altered genomic encapsidation.PLoS biology · 2025Article
- Portable molecular diagnostic platform for rapid point-of-care detection of mpox and other diseases.Nature communications · 2025Article
- Performance and functional assessment of the Kimera P-IV point-of-care plasmonic qPCR prototype for ultra rapid pathogen detection ofEpidemiology and infection · 2025Article
- Reagent efficiency and analytical sensitivity optimization for a reliable SARS-CoV-2 pool-based testing strategy.Heliyon · 2025Article
- Direct real-time RT-PCR for the detection of dengue virus from patient serum in Lao PDR.PloS one · 2025Article
- Rapid detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA using a one-step fast multiplex RT-PCR coupled to lateral flow immunoassay.BMC infectious diseases · 2024Article
- Development and validation of a rapid five-minute nucleic acid extraction method for respiratory viruses.Virology journal · 2024Article
- RT-qPCR investigation of post-mortem tissues during COVID-19.Journal of applied biomedicine · 2024Article
- Productive biosensing techniques empowered by all-dielectric metasurfaces.Frontiers in bioengineering and biotechnology · 2024Article
- Scalable solutions for global health: the SalivaDirect model.Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · 2024Article
60 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
19 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has created an unprecedented need for rapid diagnostic testing. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends a standard assay that includes an RNA extraction step from a nasopharyngeal (NP) swab followed by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) to detect the purified SARS-CoV-2 RNA. The current global shortage of RNA extraction kits has caused a severe bottleneck to COVID-19 testing. The goal of this study was to determine whether SARS-CoV-2 RNA could be detected from NP samples via a direct RT-qPCR assay that omits the RNA extraction step altogether. The direct RT-qPCR approach correctly identified 92% of a reference set of blinded NP samples (n = 155) demonstrated to be positive for SARS-CoV-2 RNA by traditional clinical diagnostic RT-qPCR that included an RNA extraction. Importantly, the direct method had sufficient sensitivity to reliably detect those patients with viral loads that correlate with the presence of infectious virus. Thus, this strategy has the potential to ease supply choke points to substantially expand COVID-19 testing and screening capacity and should be applicable throughout the world.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.