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

Journal article

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.

Authors: Byrne, RL; Kay, GA; Kontogianni, K; Aljayyoussi, G; Brown, L

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Journal: Emerging Infectious Diseases
• Volume: 26
• Issue: 11
• Pages: 2769-2770
• Publication date: 2020-09-11
• DOI: 10.3201/eid2611.203283
• EISSN: 1080-6059
• ISSN: 1080-6040
• Language: English
• Keywords: Virus; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2); Outbreak; Surgery; Disease; Medicine; Saliva; Viral load; Internal medicine; 2019-20 coronavirus outbreak; Coronavirus; Throat; Virology; Infectious disease (medical specialty); Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19); Respiratory system