Related Experiment Video
Updated: Nov 19, 2025
07:13
Swabbing the Urban Environment - A Pipeline for Sampling and Detection of SARS-CoV-2 From Environmental Reservoirs
Published on: April 9, 2021
4.4K
A new SYBR Green real-time PCR to detect SARS-CoV-2
D R Marinowic1,2,3,4,5, G Zanirati1,3, F V F Rodrigues1,3
1Brain Institute of Rio Grande do Sul (BraIns), Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul, Av Ipiranga, 6690, Building 63, Jardim Botânico, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, 90610.000, Brazil.
Scientific Reports
|January 27, 2021
Summary
A new, cost-effective SYBR Green RT-PCR test effectively screens for SARS-CoV-2 negative cases. This affordable method aids large-scale testing, reducing public health burdens and guiding isolation strategies.
Area of Science:
- Virology
- Molecular Diagnostics
Background:
- The 2020 pandemic is caused by SARS-CoV-2, a betacoronavirus.
- Accurate diagnostic tests are crucial for public health interventions.
- Current gold standard RT-PCR requires cost-effective alternatives for large-scale screening.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a low-cost, high-specificity diagnostic test for SARS-CoV-2.
- To validate an auxiliary SYBR Green RT-PCR protocol for screening negative cases.
- To provide a scalable solution for managing the pandemic's economic and social impact.
Main Methods:
- Development of a cost-effective SYBR Green RT-PCR assay.
- Primer design and specificity validation against related viruses and human pathogens.
- Optimization of annealing temperature and polymerization time for enhanced PCR product specificity.
Main Results:
- A novel, cost-effective SARS-CoV-2 detection method was successfully developed.
- Primers exhibited high specificity, with complementarity only to rhinoviruses/enteroviruses and Legionella spp., not other coronaviruses or respiratory pathogens.
- Optimized conditions ensured high specificity of PCR products, enabling reliable negative case screening.
Conclusions:
- A more affordable and rapid methodology for negative SARS-CoV-2 screening has been established.
- This SYBR Green RT-PCR approach offers a scalable solution for public health.
- The test can help alleviate public panic and economic strain by informing isolation strategies.
