tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
J Med Virol
. 2020 Jul 4.
doi: 10.1002/jmv.26258. Online ahead of print.
Deep Throat Saliva as an Alternative Diagnostic Specimen Type for the Detection of SARS-CoV-2
Eddie Chi-Man Leung[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Viola Chi-Ying Chow[SUP] 1 [/SUP], May Kin-Ping Lee[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Raymond Wai-Man Lai[SUP] 1 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Abstract
Nasopharyngeal swabs (NPS) are widely accepted as specimens for the detection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in the current pandemic of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). However, the collection procedures for NPS specimens causes sneezing and coughing in most patients, which generate droplets or aerosol particles that are hazardous to the healthcare workers collecting these specimens. In this study, 95 patient-matched paired deep throat saliva (DTS) and NPS specimens from 62 patients were analysed. Samples were tested for SARS-CoV-2 by reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The rates of detection for DTS (53.7%) and NPS (47.4%) samples were comparable (P = 0.13). It is important to note that the patients should be clearly instructed or supervised during DTS collection. In conclusion, SARS-CoV-2 detection by RT-PCR was equivalent in DTS and NPS specimens. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Keywords: COVID-19; Deep throat saliva; RT-PCR; SARS-CoV-2.
. 2020 Jul 4.
doi: 10.1002/jmv.26258. Online ahead of print.
Deep Throat Saliva as an Alternative Diagnostic Specimen Type for the Detection of SARS-CoV-2
Eddie Chi-Man Leung[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Viola Chi-Ying Chow[SUP] 1 [/SUP], May Kin-Ping Lee[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Raymond Wai-Man Lai[SUP] 1 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 32621616
- DOI: 10.1002/jmv.26258
Abstract
Nasopharyngeal swabs (NPS) are widely accepted as specimens for the detection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in the current pandemic of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). However, the collection procedures for NPS specimens causes sneezing and coughing in most patients, which generate droplets or aerosol particles that are hazardous to the healthcare workers collecting these specimens. In this study, 95 patient-matched paired deep throat saliva (DTS) and NPS specimens from 62 patients were analysed. Samples were tested for SARS-CoV-2 by reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The rates of detection for DTS (53.7%) and NPS (47.4%) samples were comparable (P = 0.13). It is important to note that the patients should be clearly instructed or supervised during DTS collection. In conclusion, SARS-CoV-2 detection by RT-PCR was equivalent in DTS and NPS specimens. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Keywords: COVID-19; Deep throat saliva; RT-PCR; SARS-CoV-2.