Comparative study on Saliva and Nasopharyngeal swabs and the outcome of RT-PCR test in patients with mild symptoms of SARS-CoV-2

Satvinder Singh Bakshi; V Mangayarkarasi; Debabrata Dash; Soumyajit Das; Seepana Ramesh; Cheeranjeevi Jayam; Vinoth Kumar Kalidoss

doi:10.1016/j.otoeng.2023.03.004

Comparative study on Saliva and Nasopharyngeal swabs and the outcome of RT-PCR test in patients with mild symptoms of SARS-CoV-2

Acta Otorrinolaringol Esp (Engl Ed). 2023 Sep-Oct;74(5):315-319. doi: 10.1016/j.otoeng.2023.03.004. Epub 2023 Mar 23.

Authors

Satvinder Singh Bakshi¹, V Mangayarkarasi², Debabrata Dash³, Soumyajit Das⁴, Seepana Ramesh⁵, Cheeranjeevi Jayam⁶, Vinoth Kumar Kalidoss⁷

Affiliations

¹ Department of ENT and Head & Neck Surgery, All India Institute of Medical Sciences Mangalagiri, Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, India. Electronic address: saty.bakshi@gmail.com.
² Department of Microbiology, AIIMS Mangalagiri, Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, India. Electronic address: researchaiimsmgent@gmail.com.
³ Department of Microbiology, AIIMS Mangalagiri, Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, India. Electronic address: debdash.micro@aiimsmangalagiri.edu.in.
⁴ Department of ENT and Head & Neck Surgery, All India Institute of Medical Sciences Mangalagiri, Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, India. Electronic address: drsoumya_entamch@rediffmail.com.
⁵ Department of ENT and Head & Neck Surgery, All India Institute of Medical Sciences Mangalagiri, Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, India. Electronic address: rameshseepana@rediffmail.com.
⁶ Department of Dentistry, AIIMS Mangalagiri, Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, India. Electronic address: drjayam.dental@aiimsmangalagiri.edu.in.
⁷ Department of Community and Family Medicine, AIIMS Mangalagiri, Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, India. Electronic address: vinob4u@gmail.com.

PMID: 36965822
DOI: 10.1016/j.otoeng.2023.03.004

Abstract

Aim: A simple and reliable method for diagnosing COVID 19 infections is the needed. The role of saliva in the transmission of the infection has already been established.

Method: Saliva and nasopharyngeal swabs from patients suspected to have COVID 19 infections were taken simultaneously, and the results of the RT-PCR were compared.

Result: Total 405 samples were collected, of which 250 males and 155 females. In the 391 samples included for analysis, 370 (94.63%) samples were found to have concordance results, and 21 (5.37%) samples had discordant results.

Conclusion: The use of saliva to diagnose COVID 19 infection is reliable, and its use can be recommended.

Keywords: COVID 19; COVID-19; Hisopado nasofaríngeo; Nasopharyngeal swab; SARS-CoV 2; SARS-CoV-2; Saliva.

MeSH terms

COVID-19 Testing
COVID-19* / diagnosis
Female
Humans
Male
Nasopharynx
Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
SARS-CoV-2*
Saliva