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

• Main Authors: Hui Yao (Author), Ying Shen (Author), Zhichao Liang (Author), Xiaoyu Xue (Author), Chenxi Zhao (Author), Xiang Xu (Author), Yuxin Cai (Author), Yonghong Liu (Author), Wei Zhang (Author), Yang Pan (Author), Xiaoli Wang (Author)
• Format: Book
• Published: Elsevier, 2024-04-01T00:00:00Z.
• Subjects: article
• Online Access: Connect to this object online.
• Notes: 2590-0536; 10.1016/j.bsheal.2024.03.002
• Keywords: SARS-CoV-2; Saliva sample; Sensitivity; Acceptability; Infectious and parasitic diseases; RC109-216; Public aspects of medicine; RA1-1270
• Source: Biosafety and Health, Vol 6, Iss 2, Pp 88-91 (2024)

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.