Smartphone screen testing, a novel pre-diagnostic method to identify SARS-CoV-2 infectious individuals

Area of Science:

• Virology
• Public Health
• Biotechnology

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic necessitates ongoing surveillance for SARS-CoV-2, including new variants, to control global spread.
• Vaccination efforts may be compromised by emerging variants, highlighting the need for alternative detection methods.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a simple, robust, and non-invasive smartphone-based method for detecting SARS-CoV-2.
• To assess the effectiveness of this method in identifying contagious individuals and detecting variants of concern.

Main Methods:

• Development of Phone Screen Testing (PoST), a method using RT-PCR on smartphone screen swab samples.
• Comparison of PoST results with nasopharyngeal RT-PCR testing in individuals with high viral loads.
• Analysis of PoST samples for polymorphisms associated with SARS-CoV-2 Alpha, Beta, and Gamma variants.

Main Results:

• PoST successfully detected SARS-CoV-2 in 81.3-100% of individuals who were nasopharyngeal-positive with high viral loads.
• The method demonstrated effectiveness in identifying contagious COVID-19 individuals.
• Polymorphisms linked to SARS-CoV-2 Alpha, Beta, and Gamma variants were identified in PoST samples.

Conclusions:

• Phone Screen Testing (PoST) is a viable, non-invasive, cost-effective, and easily implementable alternative for SARS-CoV-2 detection.
• PoST can contribute to COVID-19 outbreak containment and the identification of variants of concern.
• This smartphone-based approach offers a promising tool for future epidemic surveillance.