Emerging Infectious Diseases (Nov 2020)

Saliva Alternative to Upper Respiratory Swabs for SARS-CoV-2 Diagnosis

  • Rachel L. Byrne,
  • Grant A. Kay,
  • Konstantina Kontogianni,
  • Ghaith Aljayyoussi,
  • Lottie Brown,
  • Andrea M. Collins,
  • Luis E. Cuevas,
  • Daniela M. Ferreira,
  • Alice J. Fraser,
  • Gala Garrod,
  • Helen Hill,
  • Grant L. Hughes,
  • Stefanie Menzies,
  • Elena Mitsi,
  • Sophie I. Owen,
  • Edward I. Patterson,
  • Christopher T. Williams,
  • Angela Hyder-Wright,
  • Emily R. Adams,
  • Ana I. Cubas-Atienzar

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3201/eid2611.203283
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 26, no. 11
pp. 2769 – 2770

Abstract

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PCR of upper respiratory specimens is the diagnostic standard for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection. However, saliva sampling is an easy alternative to nasal and throat swabbing. We found similar viral loads in saliva samples and in nasal and throat swab samples from 110 patients with coronavirus disease.

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