February 23, 2021

Saliva for Molecular Detection of SARS-CoV-2 in School-Aged Children

Category: Article Summary

Topic: Testing and Treatment

Keywords (Tags): testing

Saliva RT-PCR had a sensitivity of 88% and specificity of 99% compared to nasopharyngeal swabs (NPS) in a study of 485 NPS and saliva sample pairs collected from 476 children presenting for COVID-19 screening in Dubai. Viral detection in at least one specimen type was reported in 18%, with 17% in NPS alone and 16% in saliva alone. Concordance of findings between the NPS and saliva did not differ by age or gender.

Al Suwaidi et al. (Feb 2021). Saliva for Molecular Detection of SARS-CoV-2 in School-Aged Children. Clinical Microbiology and Infection. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cmi.2021.02.009