January 21, 2021

Self-Collection of Saliva Specimens as a Suitable Alternative to Nasopharyngeal Swabs for the Diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 by RT-QPCR

Category: Article Summary

Topic: Testing and Treatment

Keywords (Tags): testing

Comparison of paired nasopharyngeal swab (NPS) and saliva samples from 674 patients with suspected SARS-CoV-2 infection show that compared to NPS, saliva has a sensitivity of 52% and specificity of 92%.  Saliva sensitivity and specificity increased to 92% and 99%, respectively, when the cycle threshold (Ct) was ≤ 30. Ct values were significantly higher in saliva.

Trobajo-Sanmartín et al. (Jan 15, 2021). Self-Collection of Saliva Specimens as a Suitable Alternative to Nasopharyngeal Swabs for the Diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 by RT-QPCR. Journal of Clinical Medicine. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm10020299