Rapid Detection of Active Coronavirus Infection by Lateral Flow Test Strips: A New Approach to Distinguish Replicating Viruses from Non-Replicating Viruses

Abstract

This manuscript describes the development of an alternative method to detect active coronavirus infection, which targets negative-sense RNA, a product of active viral replication. Few diagnostic methods are capable of discriminating between replicating and non-replicating viruses, complicating decisions related to quarantine and therapeutic interventions. We propose strand-specific nucleic acid diagnostics as a means of distinguishing between active and inactive RNA virus infections and prototype a CRISPR-based lateral flow assay that specifically detects replicating coronaviruses. Such a paradigm in diagnostics could guide more effective public health measures to curb the spread of SARS-CoV-2 and other single-stranded viruses.