Application and optimization of RT-PCR in diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection

Guanmin Jiang; Xiaoshuai Ren; Yan Liu; Hongtao Chen; Wei Liu; Zhaowang Guo; Yaqin Zhang; Chaoqun Chen; Jianhui Zhou; Qiang Xiao; Hong Shan

In early December 2019, the first pneumonia cases of unknown origins were identified in Wuhan city, Hubei province, China 1 . On Jan 7, a novel coronavirus was discovered using high-throughput sequencing in the throat swab sample of a patient , and is currently named SARS-CoV-2(previously known as 2019-nCoV)on February 11, 2020 by ICTV 2,3 . The initial defined cases of COVID-19, were epidemiologically linked to the human seafood market in Wuhan, Although later more and more COVID-19 were found without exposure the market but with a history to Wuhan or contact with the patient of COVID-19 pneumonia confirmed 2,4,5 . Current epidemiologic data indicate the Fever, cough and dyspnea were the most common symptoms in patients with COVID-19 pneumonia. A manifestation similar of those of two other disease caused by coronaviruses, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) [18] [19] [20] . CT is an important method in the diagnosis of lung lesions, and the radiological changes in the lungs of COVID-19 patients has been characterized 21 . Zhong et al. reported that of 840 COVID-19 patients who underwent CT on admission, around 76.4% manifested abnormal CT imaging features and usually exhibited typical radiological finding of the ground-glass opacity (50%) or bilateral patchy shadowing (46%) 22 .