Cancer Diagnosis Program | Biorepositories and Biospecimen Research Branch

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Saliva Alternative to Upper Respiratory Swabs for SARS-CoV-2 Diagnosis.

Author(s): Byrne RL, Kay GA, Kontogianni K, Aljayyoussi G, Brown L, Collins AM, Cuevas LE, Ferreira DM, Fraser AJ, Garrod G, Hill H, Hughes GL, Menzies S, Mitsi E, Owen SI, Patterson EI, Williams CT, Hyder-Wright A, Adams ER, Cubas-Atienzar AI

Publication: Emerg Infect Dis, 2020, Vol. 26, Page 2770-2771

PubMed ID: 32917294 PubMed Review Paper? No

Purpose of Paper

Conclusion of Paper

Studies

1. Study Purpose

   This study compared viral loads of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes the novel 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID, COVID-19, COVID19), in matched self-collected saliva specimens with healthcare worker–collected nasal and throat swab specimens. Swab specimens were collected by healthcare-workers (details not provided) from 110 patients (61 females, 49 males) with suspected SARS-CoV-2 infection, placed in Amies transport medium, and RNA was immediately extracted from the swabs using the QIAamp Viral RNA Mini Kit. Saliva was then self-collected from the same participants via funnel into a sterile cryotube. Saliva was stored at -80°C until RNA extraction using the QIAamp Viral RNA Mini Kit. Viral loads were quantified using the genesig Real-Time Coronavirus COVID-19 PCR.

   Summary of Findings:

   Overall, SARS-CoV-2 RNA was detected in 12 (10.9%) self-collected saliva and 14 matched healthcare worker- collected (12.7%) nasal and throat swab specimens. Viral loads for positive specimens ranged from 36 to 3.3 × 10⁶ copies/mL; differences between specimen types were statistically insignificant (P=0.1955). Viral loads were low (<10 copies/mL) in the nasal/throat swabs of the two patients with SARS-CoV-2 RNA detected in the healthcare worker collected nasal/throat swabs and negative in self-collected saliva specimens. The authors state the difference in SARS-CoV-2 RNA detection may be attributed to different processing times of the two specimens or reduced stability of RNA due to freeze/thaw cycling of the saliva specimen.

   Biospecimens

   • Bodily Fluid - Saliva
   • Cell - Nasal cavity
   • Cell - Oral Cavity

   Preservative Types

   • Frozen
   • Other Preservative

   Diagnoses:

   • Pneumonia/Respiratory Infection

   Platform:

   Analyte	Technology Platform
   RNA	Real-time qRT-PCR

   Pre-analytical Factors:

   Classification	Pre-analytical Factor	Value(s)
   Biospecimen Acquisition	Biospecimen location	Saliva Nasal cavity Throat
   Biospecimen Acquisition	Method of cell acquisition	Self-collected saliva Healthcare worker-collected swabs
   Real-time qRT-PCR Specific	Targeted nucleic acid	SARS-CoV-2
   Biospecimen Preservation	Type of fixation/preservation	Frozen Amies transport media
   Storage	Freeze/thaw cycling	0 cycles 1 cycle

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