Comparison of Extraction Methods and Thermocyclers for SARS-CoV-2 Molecular Detection Using Clinical Specimens

Clinical and public health laboratories throughout the world have rapidly expanded diagnostic testing for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) (1–3). Supply chain shortages have necessitated redundant methods and workflows for SARS-CoV-2 testing in many laboratories. However, the interchangeability of instrumentation, especially for independent RNA extraction and nucleic acid amplification, remains largely unreported. This study compared the performance of three direct RNA extraction platforms and two thermocyclers as pivotal components within a single commercially available SARS-CoV-2 testing workflow.