Rapid Antigen Tests during the COVID-19 Era in Korea and Their Implementation as a Detection Tool for Other Infectious Diseases

Abstract

Rapid antigen tests (RATs) are diagnostic tools developed to specifically detect a certain protein of infectious agents (viruses, bacteria, or parasites). RATs are easily accessible due to their rapidity and simplicity. During the COVID-19 pandemic, RATs have been widely used in detecting the presence of the specific SARS-CoV-2 antigen in respiratory samples from suspected individuals. Here, the authors review the application of RATs as detection tools for COVID-19, particularly in Korea, as well as for several other infectious diseases. To address these issues, we present general knowledge on the design of RATs that adopt the lateral flow immunoassay for the detection of the analyte (antigen). The authors then discuss the clinical utilization of the authorized RATs amidst the battle against the COVID-19 pandemic in Korea and their role in comparison with other detection methods. We also discuss the implementation of RATs for other, non-COVID-19 infectious diseases, the challenges that may arise during the application, the limitations of RATs as clinical detection tools, as well as the possible problem solving for those challenges to maximize the performance of RATs and avoiding any misinterpretation of the test result.

Emerging Field-Effect Transistor Biosensors for Life Science Applications

“…Many studies have reported methods and technologies developed for detecting and treating COVID-19 that can be extended to future outbreaks. The COVID-19 pandemic has widely utilized rapid antigen tests (RATs) to detect the SARS-CoV-2 antigen [21]. These tests have been valuable due to their simplicity and rapid results.…”

Evaluation of Rapid Multiplex Reverse Transcription-Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction Assays for SARS-CoV-2 Detection in Individual and Pooled Samples

“…Antigen tests can be used for the rapid prevention of community-acquired infections by enabling quick identification of SARS-CoV-2 infection (approximately 15 min of test time) [ 14 ]. However, the sensitivity of antigen tests is lower than that of NAATs, especially in asymptomatic patients [ 15 , 16 ].…”