Abstract
Nasopharyngeal swabs (NPS) are widely accepted as specimens for the detection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in the current pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019. However, the collection procedures for NPS specimens causes sneezing and coughing in most patients, which generate droplets or aerosol particles that are hazardous to the healthcare workers collecting these specimens. In this study, 95 patient-matched paired deep throat saliva (DTS) and NPS specimens from 62 patients were analyzed. Samples were tested for SARS-CoV-2 by reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The rates of detection for DTS (53.7%) and NPS (47.4%) samples were comparable (P = .13). It is important to note that the patients should be clearly instructed or supervised during DTS collection. In conclusion, SARS-CoV-2 detection by RT-PCR was equivalent in DTS and NPS specimens.
Keywords: COVID-19; RT-PCR; SARS-CoV-2; deep throat saliva.
【저자키워드】 COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, RT-PCR, deep throat saliva., 【초록키워드】 coronavirus disease, Saliva, Coronavirus disease 2019, coronavirus, pandemic, Healthcare workers, droplet, droplets, severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus, RT-PCR, healthcare worker, Particle, polymerase chain reaction, SARS-CoV-2 detection, nasopharyngeal swabs, Patient, Swab, respiratory, specimens, patients, Chain Reaction, acute respiratory syndrome, acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus, acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, Most patients, specimen, coughing, sneezing, NPs, polymerase chain, tested, analyzed, Sample, the patient, generate, comparable, cause, DTS, 【제목키워드】 Saliva, diagnostic, specimen, deep,