Performance of at-home self-collected saliva and nasal-oropharyngeal swabs in the surveillance of COVID-19

Background: SARS-CoV-2 quickly spreads in the worldwide population, imposing social restrictions to control the infection, being the massive testing another essential strategy to break the chain of transmission. Aim: To compare the performance of at-home self-collected samples – saliva and combined...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Paulo H. Braz-Silva, Ana C. Mamana, Camila M. Romano, Alvina C. Felix, Anderson V. de Paula, Noeli E Fereira, Lewis F. Buss, Tania R. Tozetto-Mendoza, Rafael A. V. Caixeta, Fabio E. Leal, Regina M. Z. Grespan, João C. S. Bizário, Andrea B. C. Ferraz, Dipak Sapkota, Simone Giannecchini, Kelvin K. To, Alain Doglio, Maria C. Mendes-Correa
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Taylor & Francis Group 2021-01-01
Series:Journal of Oral Microbiology
Subjects:
pcr
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/20002297.2020.1858002
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Summary:Background: SARS-CoV-2 quickly spreads in the worldwide population, imposing social restrictions to control the infection, being the massive testing another essential strategy to break the chain of transmission. Aim: To compare the performance of at-home self-collected samples – saliva and combined nasal-oropharyngeal swabs (NOP) – for SARS-CoV-2 detection in a telemedicine platform for COVID-19 surveillance. Material and methods: We analyzed 201 patients who met the criteria of suspected COVID-19. NOP sampling was combined (nostrils and oropharynx) and saliva collected using a cotton pad device. Detection of SARS-COV-2 was performed by using the Altona RealStar® SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR Kit 1.0.  Results: There was an overall significant agreement (κ coefficient value of 0.58) between saliva and NOP. Considering results in either sample, 70 patients positive for SARS-CoV-2 were identified, with 52/70 being positive in NOP and 55/70 in saliva. This corresponds to sensitivities of 74.2% (95% CI; 63.7% to 83.1%) for NOP and 78.6% (95% CI; 67.6% to 86.6%) for saliva. Conclusion: Our data show the feasibility of using at-home self-collected samples (especially saliva), as an adequate alternative for SARS-CoV-2 detection. This new approach of testing can be useful to develop strategies for COVID-19 surveillance and for guiding public health decisions.
ISSN:2000-2297