Superior effectiveness and acceptability of saliva samples for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 in China

Hui Yao; Ying Shen; Zhichao Liang; Xiaoyu Xue; Chenxi Zhao; Xiang Xu; Yuxin Cai; Yonghong Liu; Wei Zhang; Yang Pan; Xiaoli Wang

Biosafety and Health (Apr 2024)

Superior effectiveness and acceptability of saliva samples for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 in China

Hui Yao,
Ying Shen,
Zhichao Liang,
Xiaoyu Xue,
Chenxi Zhao,
Xiang Xu,
Yuxin Cai,
Yonghong Liu,
Wei Zhang,
Yang Pan,
Xiaoli Wang

Affiliations

Hui Yao: Beijing Office of Global Health, Beijing Center for Disease Prevention and Control, Beijing 100013, China
Ying Shen: Beijing Office of Global Health, Beijing Center for Disease Prevention and Control, Beijing 100013, China
Zhichao Liang: Institute for Infectious Disease and Endemic Disease Control, Beijing Center for Disease Prevention and Control, Beijing 100013, China
Xiaoyu Xue: National Key Laboratory of Intelligent Tracking and Forecasting for Infectious Diseases, Beijing Ditan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100015, China
Chenxi Zhao: National Key Laboratory of Intelligent Tracking and Forecasting for Infectious Diseases, Beijing Ditan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100015, China
Xiang Xu: Beijing Office of Global Health, Beijing Center for Disease Prevention and Control, Beijing 100013, China
Yuxin Cai: Beijing Office of Global Health, Beijing Center for Disease Prevention and Control, Beijing 100013, China
Yonghong Liu: Beijing Office of Global Health, Beijing Center for Disease Prevention and Control, Beijing 100013, China
Wei Zhang: National Key Laboratory of Intelligent Tracking and Forecasting for Infectious Diseases, Beijing Ditan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100015, China; Corresponding authors: National Key Laboratory of Intelligent Tracking and Forecasting for Infectious Diseases, Beijing Ditan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100015, China (W. Zhang); Center for Drug Evaluation, National Medical Products Administration, Beijing 100176, China (Y. Pan); Beijing Center for Disease Prevention and Control, Beijing 100013, China (X. Wang).
Yang Pan: Center for Drug Evaluation, National Medical Products Administration, Beijing 100176, China; Corresponding authors: National Key Laboratory of Intelligent Tracking and Forecasting for Infectious Diseases, Beijing Ditan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100015, China (W. Zhang); Center for Drug Evaluation, National Medical Products Administration, Beijing 100176, China (Y. Pan); Beijing Center for Disease Prevention and Control, Beijing 100013, China (X. Wang).
Xiaoli Wang: Beijing Office of Global Health, Beijing Center for Disease Prevention and Control, Beijing 100013, China; School of Public Health, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100069, China; Corresponding authors: National Key Laboratory of Intelligent Tracking and Forecasting for Infectious Diseases, Beijing Ditan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100015, China (W. Zhang); Center for Drug Evaluation, National Medical Products Administration, Beijing 100176, China (Y. Pan); Beijing Center for Disease Prevention and Control, Beijing 100013, China (X. Wang).

Journal volume & issue: Vol. 6, no. 2
pp. 88 – 91

Abstract

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In response to problems of poor sampling quality, low sensitivity, and high demand for medical personnel regarding the current severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) oropharyngeal (OP) swab sampling used in China, we aimed to evaluate the diagnostic performance and acceptability of saliva-based nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs) in China. The results showed that, using nasopharyngeal (NP) swab results as the gold standard, the overall sensitivities for saliva specimens and OP swabs were 93.3 % and 85.0 %, the specificities were 92.6 % and 93.8 %, respectively. The results of an acceptability survey showed that the scores for saliva, OP, and NP samples were 9.46 ± 1.69, 8.11 ± 2.42, and 4.58 ± 3.82 out of 10, respectively, with significant differences among the three groups (P < 0.05). With higher sensitivity, comparable specificity, and strong public preference, saliva-based NAATs represent a convenient and effective method for detecting SARS-CoV-2 in future epidemics.

Published in Biosafety and Health

ISSN: 2590-0536 (Online)
Publisher: Elsevier
Country of publisher: Netherlands
LCC subjects: Medicine: Internal medicine: Infectious and parasitic diseases; Medicine: Public aspects of medicine
Website: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/biosafety-and-health/

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