tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Sci Rep
. 2022 Aug 18;12(1):14061.
doi: 10.1038/s41598-022-17057-7.
Saliva-based SARS-CoV-2 serology using at-home collection kits returned via mail
Christopher Campbell[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Douglas Roblin[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Nikhil Padmanabhan[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Daniel Romero[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Jessica Joe[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Lily Fathi[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Thomas Whiting[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Jared Williamson[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Paul Goodwin[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Charmaine Mckie[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Adrienne Deneal[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Leslie Greenberg[SUP] 3 [/SUP], George Sigal[SUP] 4 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Abstract
Serology provides tools for epidemiologic studies, and may have a role in vaccine prioritization and selection. Automated serologic testing of saliva, especially specimens that are self-collected at home and sent to a laboratory via the mail without refrigeration, could be a highly-scalable strategy for population-wide testing. In this prospective study, non-vaccinated patients were recruited after PCR testing to self-collect saliva and return their specimens via mail. Longitudinal specimens were analyzed in order to monitor seroconversion in the weeks after a diagnostic PCR test for SARS-CoV-2. Diverse users self-collected saliva and returned specimens via mail in compliance with shipping regulations. At our pre-established threshold (0.963 AU/mL), salivary IgG reactivity to full-length spike protein achieved 95.8% sensitivity and 92.4% specificity at 2-4 weeks after diagnostic testing, which is comparable to the typical sensitivity and specificity achieved for serum testing. Reactivity to N antigen also was detected with 92.6% sensitivity and 90.7% specificity at 4-8 weeks after diagnostic testing. Moreover, serologic testing for endemic coronaviruses performed in multiplex with SARS-CoV-2 antigens has the potential to identify samples that may require retesting due to effects of pre-analytical factors. The easy-to-use saliva collection kit, coupled with thresholds for positivity and methods of flagging samples for retest, provides a framework for large-scale serosurveillance of SARS-CoV-2.
. 2022 Aug 18;12(1):14061.
doi: 10.1038/s41598-022-17057-7.
Saliva-based SARS-CoV-2 serology using at-home collection kits returned via mail
Christopher Campbell[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Douglas Roblin[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Nikhil Padmanabhan[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Daniel Romero[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Jessica Joe[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Lily Fathi[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Thomas Whiting[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Jared Williamson[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Paul Goodwin[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Charmaine Mckie[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Adrienne Deneal[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Leslie Greenberg[SUP] 3 [/SUP], George Sigal[SUP] 4 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 35982133
- DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-17057-7
Abstract
Serology provides tools for epidemiologic studies, and may have a role in vaccine prioritization and selection. Automated serologic testing of saliva, especially specimens that are self-collected at home and sent to a laboratory via the mail without refrigeration, could be a highly-scalable strategy for population-wide testing. In this prospective study, non-vaccinated patients were recruited after PCR testing to self-collect saliva and return their specimens via mail. Longitudinal specimens were analyzed in order to monitor seroconversion in the weeks after a diagnostic PCR test for SARS-CoV-2. Diverse users self-collected saliva and returned specimens via mail in compliance with shipping regulations. At our pre-established threshold (0.963 AU/mL), salivary IgG reactivity to full-length spike protein achieved 95.8% sensitivity and 92.4% specificity at 2-4 weeks after diagnostic testing, which is comparable to the typical sensitivity and specificity achieved for serum testing. Reactivity to N antigen also was detected with 92.6% sensitivity and 90.7% specificity at 4-8 weeks after diagnostic testing. Moreover, serologic testing for endemic coronaviruses performed in multiplex with SARS-CoV-2 antigens has the potential to identify samples that may require retesting due to effects of pre-analytical factors. The easy-to-use saliva collection kit, coupled with thresholds for positivity and methods of flagging samples for retest, provides a framework for large-scale serosurveillance of SARS-CoV-2.