The diagnosis of severe acute respiratory syndrome 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection by quantitative PCR with reverse transcription (RT–qPCR) typically involves bulky instrumentation in centralized laboratories and an assay time of 1–2 h. Here, we show that SARS-CoV-2 RNA can be detected in 17 min via a portable device integrating reverse transcription, fast thermocycling (via plasmonic heating through magneto-plasmonic nanoparticles) and in situ fluorescence detection following magnetic clearance of the nanoparticles. The device correctly classified all nasopharyngeal, oropharyngeal and sputum samples from 75 patients with COVID-19 and 75 healthy controls, with good concordance in fluorescence intensity with standard RT–qPCR (Pearson coefficients > 0.7 for the N1, N2 and RPP30 genes). Fast, portable and automated nucleic acid detection should facilitate testing at the point of care.

通过逆转录定量 PCR (RT-qPCR) 诊断严重急性呼吸综合征 2 (SARS-CoV-2) 感染通常需要集中实验室使用大型仪器，检测时间为 1-2 小时。在这里，我们表明，通过集成逆转录、快速热循环（通过磁等离子体纳米粒子的等离子体加热）和纳米粒子磁清除后的原位荧光检测的便携式设备，可以在 17 分钟内检测到 SARS-CoV-2 RNA。该设备正确分类了 75 名 COVID-19 患者和 75 名健康对照者的所有鼻咽、口咽和痰样本，荧光强度与标准 RT-qPCR 具有良好的一致性（N1、N2和RPP30基因的皮尔逊系数 > 0.7 ）。快速、便携式和自动化的核酸检测应有助于现场检测。