@article{oai:nagasaki-u.repo.nii.ac.jp:00027810,
 author = {Abe, Haruka and Ushijima, Yuri and Bikangui, Rodrigue and Ondo, Georgelin Nguema and Moure, Ayong and Yali-Assy-Oyamli, Yoric and Yoshikawa, Rokusuke and Lell, Bertrand and Adegnika, Ayola A. and Yasuda, Jiro},
 issue = {12},
 journal = {PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases},
 month = {Dec},
 note = {Background: Despite the development of several methods for diagnosing COVID-19, long-term validation of such methods remains limited. In the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, we developed a rapid and sensitive diagnostic method based on reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP) methodology, which is suitable for point-of-care application or for use in resource-limited settings to detect SARS-CoV-2. To assess the applicability of the RT-LAMP assay technique to resource-limited regions, such as rural areas in Africa, and to verify the usability of the method against various SARS-CoV-2 variants, the method was validated using clinical samples collected longitudinally during the pandemic.
Methodology/Principal findings: First, the sensitivity of the RT-LAMP assay for detecting 10 SARS-CoV-2 variants was evaluated using viral RNA samples extracted from cell culture with a portable battery-supported device, resulting in the successful detection of 20–50 copies of the viral genome within 15 min, regardless of the variant. COVID-19 positive samples collected in Gabon between March 2020 and October 2021 were used to evaluate the sensitivity of the assay and to calculate the copy number of the SARS-CoV-2 genome. More than 292 copies of the viral genome were detected with 100% probability within 15 min in almost all tests.
Conclusions: This long-term validation study clearly demonstrated the applicability of the RT-LAMP assay for the clinical diagnosis of COVID-19 in resource-limited settings of Africa, such as rural areas in Gabon. The results show the potential of the assay as a promising COVID-19 diagnostic method, especially in rural and remote regions located far from the official diagnosis facilities in urban or semi-urban areas., PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases, 16(12), art. no. e0010964; 2022},
 title = {Long-term validation of a reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP) assay for the rapid detection of SARS-CoV-2 from March 2020 to October 2021 in Central Africa, Gabon},
 volume = {16},
 year = {2022}
}