Journal
OPEN FORUM INFECTIOUS DISEASES
Volume 7, Issue 6, Pages -Publisher
OXFORD UNIV PRESS INC
DOI: 10.1093/ofid/ofaa210
Keywords
coronavirus; diagnosis; SARS-CoV-2; saliva; screening
Categories
Funding
- Consultancy Service for Enhancing Laboratory Surveillance of Emerging Infectious Diseases and Research Capability on Antimicrobial Resistance for the Department of Health of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China
- Theme-Based Research Scheme of the Research Grants Council, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region [T11/707/15]
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Background. Posterior oropharyngeal saliva is increasingly recognized as a valid respiratory specimen for SARS-CoV-2 diagnosis. It is easy to collect and suitable for community-wide screening. The optimal timing of collection is currently unknown, and we speculate that an early-morning specimen before oral hygiene and breakfast would increase the diagnostic yield. Methods. Posterior oropharyngeal saliva was collected at 5 different time points within the same day from 18 patients with previously confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection by molecular testing. Cycle threshold (Ct) values were compared. Results. There was an overall trend of lower Ct values from specimens collected in the early morning, with a gradual decrease of viral load towards nighttime, but reaching statistical significance only when compared with the specimens collected at bedtime. Eight out of 13 subjects had a higher viral load in the early morning than the rest of the 4 time points (before lunch, before teatime at 3 PM, before dinner, before bedtime). Methods. Posterior oropharyngeal saliva was collected at 5 different time points within the same day from 18 patients with previously confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection by molecular testing. Cycle threshold (Ct) values were compared.
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