Comparison of “hock-a-loogie” saliva versus nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal swabs for detecting common respiratory pathogens

Renke Chen; Jiaqi Bao; Xiaojuan Huang; Qianna Chen; Maowen Huang; Min Gao; Fanghao Yu; Jiayao Chen; Weihua Zou; Lumei Shi; Xiao Chen; Bo Feng; Ruonan Wang; Baihuan Feng; Shufa Zheng; Fei Yu

Heliyon (Oct 2023)

Comparison of “hock-a-loogie” saliva versus nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal swabs for detecting common respiratory pathogens

Renke Chen,
Jiaqi Bao,
Xiaojuan Huang,
Qianna Chen,
Maowen Huang,
Min Gao,
Fanghao Yu,
Jiayao Chen,
Weihua Zou,
Lumei Shi,
Xiao Chen,
Bo Feng,
Ruonan Wang,
Baihuan Feng,
Shufa Zheng,
Fei Yu

Affiliations

Renke Chen: The First Clinical Medical College, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, China
Jiaqi Bao: Department of Laboratory Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China; Key Laboratory of Clinical In Vitro Diagnostic Techniques of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, China; Institute of Laboratory Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
Xiaojuan Huang: Department of Laboratory Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
Qianna Chen: Department of Laboratory Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
Maowen Huang: Center of Clinical Laboratory, Ningbo Beilun People's Hospital, Ningbo, China
Min Gao: Department of Clinical Laboratory, Huzhou Central Hospital, Affiliated Central Hospital Huzhou University, Huzhou, China
Fanghao Yu: Department of Clinical Laboratory, Yiwu Central Hospital, Yiwu, China
Jiayao Chen: Department of Clinical Laboratory, Zhoushan Hospital of Zhejiang Province, Zhoushan, China
Weihua Zou: Department of Clinical Laboratory, Huzhou Central Hospital, Affiliated Central Hospital Huzhou University, Huzhou, China
Lumei Shi: Center of Clinical Laboratory, Ningbo Beilun People's Hospital, Ningbo, China
Xiao Chen: Department of Laboratory Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China; Key Laboratory of Clinical In Vitro Diagnostic Techniques of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, China; Institute of Laboratory Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
Bo Feng: Department of Nephrology, Jiaxing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jiaxing, China
Ruonan Wang: Department of Laboratory Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China; Key Laboratory of Clinical In Vitro Diagnostic Techniques of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, China; Institute of Laboratory Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
Baihuan Feng: Department of Laboratory Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China; Key Laboratory of Clinical In Vitro Diagnostic Techniques of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, China; Institute of Laboratory Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
Shufa Zheng: Department of Laboratory Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China; Key Laboratory of Clinical In Vitro Diagnostic Techniques of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, China; Institute of Laboratory Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China; Corresponding author. Department of Laboratory Medicine, First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, 79 Qingchun Road, Hangzhou, 310003, China.
Fei Yu: Department of Laboratory Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China; Key Laboratory of Clinical In Vitro Diagnostic Techniques of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, China; Institute of Laboratory Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China; Corresponding author. Department of Laboratory Medicine, First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, 79 Qingchun Road, Hangzhou, 310003, China.

Journal volume & issue: Vol. 9, no. 10
p. e20965

Abstract

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Self-collection of saliva samples has attracted considerable attention in recent years, particularly during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. However, studies investigating the detection of other common respiratory pathogens in saliva samples are limited. In this study, nasopharyngeal swabs (NPS), oropharyngeal swabs (OPS), and “hock-a-loogie” saliva (HLS) were collected from 469 patients to detect 13 common respiratory pathogens. Overall positivity rates for NPS (66.1 %), HLS (63.5 %), and OPS (57.8 %) were statistically different (P = 0.028), with an overall concordance of 72.7 %. Additionally, detection rates for NPS (85.9 %) and HLS (83.2 %) for all pathogens were much higher than for OPS (73.3 %). Coronavirus and human rhinovirus were most frequently detected pathogens in NPS (P < 0.001). Mycoplasma pneumoniae was significantly more prevalent in the HLS group (P = 0.008). In conclusion, NPS was a reliable sample type for detecting common respiratory pathogens. HLS was more easily collected and can be used in emergencies or specific conditions. Mixed NPS/OPS and NPS/HLS specimens have the potential to improve detection rates, although OPS testing alone has a relatively high risk for missed detection.

Published in Heliyon

ISSN: 2405-8440 (Online)
Publisher: Elsevier
Country of publisher: United Kingdom
LCC subjects: Science: Science (General); Social Sciences: Social sciences (General)
Website: https://www.cell.com/heliyon/home

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