Alliance for Pandemic Preparedness

August 21, 2020

Low-Cost Polyester-Tipped 3-Dimensionally-Printed Nasopharyngeal Swab for the Diagnosis of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-Related Coronavirus 2

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• 3D-printed polyester-tipped swabs were shown to be effective for use in nasopharyngeal sample collection and diagnosis of COVID-19. Overall concordance between the prototype and control swabs was 81%, with most discordant results resulting from prototype-positive, control-negative results. The prototype had higher sensitivity than the control swabs (91% vs. 81%).
• The authors suggest that the materials required to make these swabs are safe, readily available, and durable. The total cost of production for each swab is estimated at around $ 0.05.

Alghounaim et al. (Aug 12, 2020). Low-Cost Polyester-Tipped 3-Dimensionally-Printed Nasopharyngeal Swab for the Diagnosis of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-Related Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Journal of Clinical Microbiology. https://doi.org/10.1128/JCM.01668-20