Evaluation of real-time NASBA assay for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 compared with real-time PCR.

The results of the present study show that the developed real-time NASBA is a sensitive and specific method for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 and is comparable with real-time PCR. NASBA is an isothermal signal amplification method, and if stand-alone fluorescent readers are available, the real-time NASBA can be used without the need for expensive thermocyclers. In addition compared to other isothermal methods like LAMP, the primer design is straightforward. Thus, real-time NASBA could be a suitable method for inexpensive SARS-CoV-2 detection.