Simultaneous detection of SARS-CoV-2 and influenza A/B viruses on an electromagnetically-driven, integrated microfluidic system

Accurately distinguishing severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) from other respiratory diseases with similar clinical manifestations, including influenza A (Inf A) and influenza B (Inf B), is 1) challenging due to their similar early-stage respiratory symptoms and 2) important because different treatments are required for each. Herein an electromagnetically-driven, compact (35 × 25 × 25 cm), integrated microfluidic system (IMS) was developed that incorporated fluorescence detection and quantification of real-time, reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) products for the detection of three viruses simultaneously. The integrated microfluidic system could automate and perform the entire diagnostic process, including virus capture, viral lysis, RT-PCR, and optical quantification from fluorescence signal, thus enabling the identification and differentiation of Inf A/B from SARS-CoV-2 within only 50 μL of sample for 2 hrs. The limits of detection for E and RdRp genes of SARS-CoV-2, NP gene of Inf A, and M gene of Inf B were 200, 200, 700, and 160 copies/mL, respectively. The sensitivity and accuracy were comparable to conventional approaches with developed integrated microfluidic systems.