Raimond Spekking/Wikimedia Commons
Raimond Spekking/Wikimedia Commons

Saliva-based COVID-19 testing is as effective and cheaper than uncomfortable nasal swabs

Embargoed until: Publicly released:
Peer-reviewed: This work was reviewed and scrutinised by relevant independent experts.

Meta-analysis: This type of study involves using statistics to combine the data from multiple previous studies to give an overall result. The reliability of a meta-analysis depends on both the quality and similarity of the individual studies being grouped together.

Systematic review: This type of study is a structured approach to reviewing all the evidence to answer a specific question. It can include a meta-analysis which is a statistical method of combining the data from multiple studies to get an overall result.

People: This is a study based on research using people.

Saliva-based sampling for detecting COVID-19 is similarly sensitive and less costly than nasal swabs, according to a review of the available evidence by Canadian and Brazilian researchers. As well as being uncomfortable for the recipient, nasal swabs require a trained health care professional and extensive personal protective equipment (PPE), they say. 

Journal/conference: Annals of Internal Medicine

Link to research (DOI): 10.7326/M20-6569

Organisation/s: McGill University, Canada

Funder: McGill Interdisciplinary Initiative in Infection and Immunity.

Media release

From: American College of Physicians

Saliva sampling could be a similarly sensitive, less costly alternative to nasal swabs for COVID-19 testing

Nasopharyngeal swabs are the primary sampling method used for detection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), but they require a trained health care professional and extensive personal protective equipment. Saliva-based sampling for detecting SARS-CoV-2 has the potential to address many barriers associated with nasopharyngeal swabs. Authors from McGill University summarize evidence comparing the sensitivities for detection of SARS-CoV-2 infection between nasopharyngeal swabs and saliva samples. They found that saliva sampling to be a similarly sensitive and less costly alternative that could replace nasopharyngeal swabs for collection of clinical samples for SARS-CoV-2 testing

Attachments:

Note: Not all attachments are visible to the general public

  •  Research
    American College of Physicians
    Web page

News for:

International

Media contact details for this story are only visible to registered journalists.