Abstract
Since its onset in December 2019, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, SARS-CoV-2, has caused over 6.5 million deaths worldwide as of October 2022. Attempts to curb viral transmission rely heavily on reliable testing to detect infections since a large number of transmissions are carried through asymptomatic individuals. Many available detection methods fall short in terms of reliability or point-of-care applicability. Here, we report an electrochemical approach targeting a viral proteolytic enzyme, 3CLpro, as a marker of active infection. We detect proteolytic activity directly from untreated saliva within one minute of sample incubation using a reduction-oxidation pH indicator. Importantly, clinical tests of saliva samples from 50 subjects show accurate detection of SARS-CoV-2, with high sensitivity and specificity, validated by PCR testing. These, coupled with our platform’s ultrafast detection, simplicity, low cost and point-of-care compatibility, make it a promising method for the real-world SARS-CoV-2 mass-screening.
【초록키워드】 SARS-CoV-2, Saliva, coronavirus, reliability, Infection, Transmission, 3CLpro, point-of-care, PCR testing, Asymptomatic individuals, Sensitivity and specificity, death, Viral transmission, platform, marker, acute respiratory syndrome, pH indicator, subject, enzyme, proteolytic activity, applicability, approach, detect, caused, carried, clinical test, proteolytic, 【제목키워드】 Saliva, SARS-COV-2 infection, 3CLpro, enzymatic activity,