Article
Virology
M. C. Connor, M. Copeland, T. Curran
Summary: This study evaluated the use of saliva, tongue swabs, and buccal swabs as alternative specimen types for SARS-CoV-2 detection. The results showed that saliva samples detected 85.3% of positive patients, tongue swabs detected 67.6% of positive patients, and buccal swabs detected 20.8% of positive patients compared to nasopharyngeal swabs. Therefore, using simple saliva collection can provide a less invasive and reliable alternative method for detecting SARS-CoV-2, particularly in patients where invasive sampling is difficult and regular repeat testing is required.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL VIROLOGY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Isao Yokota, Takeshi Hattori, Peter Y. Shane, Satoshi Konno, Atsushi Nagasaka, Kimihiro Takeyabu, Shinichi Fujisawa, Mutsumi Nishida, Takanori Teshima
Summary: This study found equivalent viral loads of SARS-CoV-2 in nasopharyngeal swabs and saliva in COVID-19 patients, with saliva showing comparable detection sensitivity to nasopharyngeal swabs.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Bawlah Tahir, Fitsum Weldegebreal, Firayad Ayele, Desalegn Admassu Ayana
Summary: This study aimed to evaluate the performance of saliva compared to nasopharyngeal swab (NPS) in the detection of SARS-CoV-2. The results showed that saliva had a higher detection rate for SARS-CoV-2 compared to NPS, and there was significant agreement between the two specimens. Therefore, saliva could be a suitable and easily obtainable alternative diagnostic specimen for SARS-CoV-2 molecular diagnosis.
Article
Microbiology
Marion Migueres, Jean-Michel Mansuy, Sandrine Vasseur, Nicolas Claverie, Catherine Lougarre, Francoise Soulier, Pauline Tremeaux, Jacques Izopet
Summary: This study evaluated the clinical performance of NPs, ANs, and saliva for SARS-CoV-2 diagnosis during the Omicron wave. The results highlight the effectiveness of saliva-based RT-PCR for the early detection of the Omicron variant.
MICROBIOLOGY SPECTRUM
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Alainna J. Jamal, Mohammad Mozafarihashjin, Eric Coomes, Jeff Powis, Angel X. Li, Aimee Paterson, Sofia Anceva-Sami, Shiva Barati, Gloria Crowl, Amna Faheem, Lubna Farooqi, Saman Khan, Karren Prost, Susan Poutanen, Maureen Taylor, Lily Yip, Xi Zoe Zhong, Allison J. McGeer, Samira Mubareka
Summary: A study of 91 inpatients with COVID-19 in Toronto, Canada, found that nasopharyngeal swabs had a sensitivity of 89% compared to saliva's 72% sensitivity when tested with real-time RT-PCR. The difference in sensitivity was more pronounced for sample pairs collected later in the course of the illness.
CLINICAL INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Getachew Tesfaye Beyene, Fekadu Alemu, Eyerusalem Solomon Kebede, Dawit Hailu Alemayehu, Tamirayehu Seyoum, Dessalegn Abeje Tefera, Gebeyehu Assefa, Abebech Tesfaye, Anteneh Habte, Gadissa Bedada, Birhanemeskel Tegene, Melese Yeshambaw, Liya Wassie, Adane Mihret, Alemseged Abdissa, Andargachew Mulu
Summary: Saliva can be a good alternative sample for diagnosing COVID-19 patients, showing higher yield and viral load compared to NPS samples.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Guang Fan, Xuan Qin, Daniel N. Streblow, Cristina Magallanes Hoyos, Donna E. Hansel
Summary: This study demonstrates that saliva can be a good alternative specimen for COVID-19 testing, showing similar test performance characteristics with NP swabs. The study also reveals that the detection rates of SARS-CoV-2 in asymptomatic populations using saliva and NP swabs are comparable, indicating the potential of using saliva as a noninvasive and convenient sample type for COVID-19 testing.
MICROBIOLOGY SPECTRUM
(2021)
Article
Immunology
Mohan Rao, Fairuz A. Rashid, Fashihah S. A. H. Sabri, Nur Nadia Jamil, Rozainanee Zain, Rohaidah Hashim, Fairuz Amran, Huey Tean Kok, Md Anuar Abd Samad, Norazah Ahmad
Summary: This study shows that saliva is a better alternative specimen for detecting SARS-CoV-2. The detection rate of SARS-CoV-2 was higher in saliva compared to NPS, and saliva collection is simple and can reduce exposure to healthcare workers.
CLINICAL INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2021)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Yoshie Tsujimoto, Junko Terada, Moto Kimura, Ataru Moriya, Ayano Motohashi, Shinyu Izumi, Kazuki Kawajiri, Kazuo Hakkaku, Momoko Morishita, Susumu Saito, Hiroshi Takumida, Hiromu Watanabe, Akinari Tsukada, Chie Morita, Yoh Yamaguchi, Takashi Katsuno, Yusaku Kusaba, Keita Sakamoto, Masao Hashimoto, Manabu Suzuki, Jin Takasaki, Masayuki Hojo, Tohru Miyoshi-Akiyama, Haruhito Sugiyama
Summary: The gold standard in diagnosing COVID-19 is the real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay for detecting SARS-CoV-2 RNA in nasopharyngeal swab (NPS) samples. This study found that nasal swab (NS) samples are more reliable than saliva swab (SS) samples, serving as an alternative to NPS samples in the future.
INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Cody Callahan, Sarah Ditelberg, Sanjucta Dutta, Nancy Littlehale, Annie Cheng, Kristin Kupczewski, Danielle McVay, Stefan Riedel, James E. Kirby, Ramy Arnaout
Summary: This study compared saliva to NP swabs in an outpatient setting, showing that saliva has good concordance with NP swabs on high-sensitivity testing platforms and is easier for self-collection. Despite lower viral loads in saliva compared to NP specimens, saliva testing remains reliable for most outpatient individuals.
MICROBIOLOGY SPECTRUM
(2021)
Article
Virology
Tina Ursic, Rok Kogoj, Jaka Sikonja, Damijana Roskaric, Monika Jevsnik Virant, Petra Bogovic, Miroslav Petrovec
Summary: This prospective cohort study aimed to evaluate the differences among participants and the diagnostic performance between nasopharyngeal swab (NP swab) and saliva samples during the Delta and Omicron SARS-CoV-2 epidemic waves. The results showed higher viral loads in NP swabs regardless of the epidemic wave, and Delta infection resulted in more symptoms. Although saliva samples showed consistent results with NP swabs, they presented challenges and required substantial retesting.
JOURNAL OF MEDICAL VIROLOGY
(2022)
Article
Virology
Marcela Echavarria, Noelia S. Reyes, Pamela E. Rodriguez, Martin Ypas, Carmen Ricarte, Maria P. Rodriguez, Matias G. Perez, Alejandro Seoane, Alfredo Martinez, Cristina Videla, Martin E. Stryjewski, Guadalupe Carballal
Summary: Saliva demonstrates high sensitivity (98%) and agreement (kappa 0.96) compared to nasopharyngeal swabs when using optimized home-brew PCR, even when the viral load in saliva is lower. This noninvasive sample is easy to collect, more comfortable for patients, and reduces exposure to healthcare personnel.
JOURNAL OF MEDICAL VIROLOGY
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Jaakko Ahti, Riikka Osterback, Anniina Keskitalo, Kati Mokkala, Siina Vidback, Ville Veikkolainen, Tytti Vuorinen, Ville Peltola, Antti J. Hakanen, Matti Waris, Miia Laine
Summary: Saliva is a promising alternative to nasopharyngeal swabs for detecting SARS-CoV-2. In a clinical study, saliva was found to be well-tolerated and resulted in comparable qualitative test results to nasopharyngeal swabs. However, lower cycle threshold values were observed in nasopharyngeal swabs, suggesting slightly higher sensitivity for this specimen type. Participants preferred saliva sampling, but some had difficulties providing an adequate saliva volume.
MICROBIOLOGY SPECTRUM
(2023)
Review
Medical Laboratory Technology
Donald Brody Duncan, Katharine Mackett, Muhammad Usman Ali, Deborah Yamamura, Cynthia Balion
Summary: Nucleic acid amplification testing (NAAT) is the preferred method for diagnosing COVID-19, and saliva has been suggested as an alternative to nasopharyngeal swabs (NPS). This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluated the diagnostic performance of saliva compared to NPS for COVID-19. The analysis included 23 studies with 25 cohorts and showed that saliva NAAT has high sensitivity (87%) and specificity (99%). These findings support the use of saliva NAAT as an alternative to NPS NAAT for COVID-19 diagnosis.
CLINICAL BIOCHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Virology
Florence Carrouel, Martine Valette, Herve Perrier, Maude Bouscambert-Duchamp, Claude Dussart, Paul Tramini, Denis Bourgeois
Summary: The study showed that self-collected pure saliva samples are comparable to nasopharyngeal swabs in detecting SARS-CoV-2 viral load in asymptomatic, mild COVID-19 patients, with a significant correlation in viral load between the two sample collection methods.
Article
Dermatology
Julia Serrano-Lobo, Ana Gomez, Elena Reigadas, Patricia Munoz, Pilar Escribano, Jesus Guinea
Summary: This study evaluated the performance of gradient diffusion strips (GDSs) in detecting azole resistance in Aspergillus fumigatus. The results showed that GDSs can effectively identify azole-resistant isolates of A. fumigatus sensu stricto, but have poor performance against cryptic species.
Article
Immunology
Sofia de la Villa, Sergio Herrero, Patricia Munoz, Carmen Rodriguez, Maricela Valerio, Elena Reigadas, Ana Alvarez-Uria, Luis Alcala, Mercedes Marin, Maria Olmedo, Martha Kestler, Esther Chamorro, Emilio Bouza
Summary: This study aimed to describe the frequency and effectiveness of Bezlotoxumab (BZX) and fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) in real-world practice for treating Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI). The results showed that both BZX and FMT had similar effectiveness in preventing CDI recurrence despite their application to different populations.
OPEN FORUM INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Sergio Buenestado-Serrano, Marta Herranz, Rosalia Palomino-Cabrera, Cristina Rodriguez-Grande, Daniel Penas-Utrilla, Andrea Molero-Salinas, Cristina Veintimilla, Pilar Catalan, Roberto Alonso, Patricia Munoz, Laura Perez-Lago, Dario Garcia de Viedma
Summary: This study proposes a fast alternative to whole-genome sequencing by using nanopore sequencing of multiple amplicons to track relevant microbiological strains. The method successfully identified the outbreak strains of the monkeypox virus in 92% of the tested samples. The total turnaround time for this strategy was 5 hours, and the cost per sample was 14 euros.
MICROBIOLOGY SPECTRUM
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Judith Diaz-Garcia, Ana Gomez, Marina Machado, Luis Alcala, Elena Reigadas, Carlos Sanchez-Carrillo, Ana Perez-Ayala, Elia Gomez-Garcia De La Pedrosa, Fernando Gonzalez-Romo, Maria Soledad Cuetara, Coral Garcia-Esteban, Inmaculada Quiles-Melero, Nelly Daniela Zurita, Maria Munoz Algarra, Maria Teresa Duran-Valle, Aida Sanchez-Garcia, Patricia Munoz, Pilar Escribano, Jesus Guinea
Summary: The number of clusters and patients involved increased during the COVID-19 pandemic mainly due to the emergence of fluconazole-resistant C. parapsilosis genotypes.
Article
Microbiology
Rosalia Palomino-Cabrera, Francisco Tejerina, Andrea Molero-Salinas, Maria Ferris, Cristina Veintimilla, Pilar Catalan, Gabriela Rodriguez Macias, Roberto Alonso, Patricia Munoz, Dario Garcia de Viedma, Laura Perez-Lago
Summary: The emergence of the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 posed a challenge to the treatment of COVID-19 with monoclonal antibodies. Only Sotrovimab maintained partial activity, making it suitable for high-risk patients infected with the Omicron variant. However, the presence of resistance mutations to Sotrovimab highlights the need for further understanding of its emergence within patients.
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENTS AND CHEMOTHERAPY
(2023)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Pilar Escribano, Aina Mesquida, Sara Lopez-Montesinos, Elena Reigadas, Patricia Munoz, Jesus Guinea
Summary: We compared antifungal susceptibility of 92 Mucorales isolates using visual inspection and spectrophotometric readings following EUCAST testing. Most isolates had Amphotericin B MICs up to 1 mg/l, varying among species except for C. bertholletiae. Posaconazole MICs were up to 1 mg/l against most isolates, but high against M. circinelloides, some R. arrhizus, and R. microsporus. Isavuconazole MICs ranged from 1 to 8 mg/l, but were always >8 mg/l against M. circinelloides and C. bertholletiae. Agreement between MICs obtained by visual inspection or spectrophotometric readings was moderate, but higher when using the >= 90% fungal growth inhibition endpoint. Isavuconazole had higher MICs than posaconazole, regardless of the inhibition endpoint used.
Article
Microbiology
J. J. Aguilera-Correa, B. Salinas, M. Gonzalez-Arjona, D. de Pablo, P. Munoz, E. Bouza, M. J. Fernandez Acenero, J. Esteban, M. Desco, L. Cusso
Summary: This study compared structural and molecular imaging techniques to assess disease progression in a mouse model of osteomyelitis. The results showed that FDG-PET imaging was more sensitive than MRI and CT in differentiating between infection and inflammation at early stages.
MICROBIOLOGY SPECTRUM
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Cristina Veintimilla, Ana Alvarez-Uria, Pablo Martin-Rabadan, Maricela Valerio, Marina Machado, Belen Padilla, Roberto Alonso, Cristina Diez, Patricia Munoz, Mercedes Marin
Summary: This study compared the performance of real-time PCR and immunofluorescence assay (IFA) in a large microbiology laboratory. The PCR test showed higher sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV for diagnosing PJP compared to the IFA. Therefore, PCR is a robust and reliable method for diagnosing PJP.
Article
Infectious Diseases
Judith Diaz-Garcia, Aina Mesquida, Marina Machado, Carlos Sanchez-Carrillo, Patricia Munoz, Pilar Escribano, Jesus Guinea
Summary: During the COVID-19 pandemic, there was an increase in both fungemia incidence and cases caused by Candida auris or fluconazole-resistant C. parapsilosis. A study conducted from January 2020 to December 2022 analyzed the impact of the pandemic on fungemia incidence, species epidemiology, potential patient-to-patient transmission, and antifungal resistance. The results showed a decrease in fungemia incidence over time and changes in species distribution, but no significant increase in antifungal resistance.
Article
Infectious Diseases
Ana Candela, Manuel J. Arroyo, Maria Sanchez-Cueto, Mercedes Marin, Emilia Cercenado, Gema Mendez, Patricia Munoz, Luis Mancera, David Rodriguez-Temporal, Belen Rodriguez-Sanchez
Summary: The study evaluated matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-iime of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR-S) as diagnostic alternatives for the detection of Pseudomonas aeruginosa sequence type (ST) 175 isolates involved in a hospital outbreak. The results showed that the combination of these two technologies, along with machine learning tools, can effectively monitor high-risk clones and isolates in nosocomial outbreaks.
TRANSBOUNDARY AND EMERGING DISEASES
(2023)
Editorial Material
Medicine, General & Internal
Manuel Martinez-Selles, Patricia Munoz
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL MEDICINE
(2023)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Mar Sanchez-Somolinos, Marta Diaz-Navarro, Antonio Benjumea, Jose Matas, Javier Vaquero, Patricia Munoz, Pablo Sanz-Ruiz, Maria Guembe
Summary: By comparing the anti-biofilm activity of dalbavancin and vancomycin over a 3-month period, this study found that dalbavancin showed sustained activity and maintained a higher percentage reduction in cfu/mL counts compared to vancomycin. The concentration of dalbavancin decreased significantly after 2 weeks, while the concentration of vancomycin gradually increased, leading to lower anti-biofilm activity. The study also observed that dalbavancin exhibited stronger anti-biofilm activity against S. epidermidis compared to S. aureus, particularly at the higher concentration of 5% and after 3 months.
Article
Infectious Diseases
Miguel Marquez-Gomez, Marta Diaz-Navarro, Andres Visedo, Rama Hafian, Jose Matas, Patricia Munoz, Javier Vaquero, Maria Guembe, Pablo Sanz-Ruiz
Summary: Irrigation and debridement are crucial steps in the surgical treatment of periprosthetic joint infection, and the choice of irrigation solution and combination remains uncertain. This study investigated the effectiveness of different antiseptic solutions and concluded that a combination of acetic acid, povidone iodine, and hydrogen peroxide yielded the best results for chemical debridement.
Article
Microbiology
Aina Mesquida, Marina Machado, Lorena Davila-Cherres, Teresa Vicente, Carlos Sanchez-Carrillo, Luis Alcala, Elena Reigadas, Patricia Munoz, Jesus Guinea, Pilar Escribano
Summary: This study suggests that the gastrointestinal tract may serve as a potential reservoir for potentially invasive genotypes of Candida spp., as there was a high level of matching between genotypes from rectal swabs and those detected in blood and intra-abdominal samples.
Article
Microbiology
Marta Herranz, Sergio Buenestado-Serrano, Javier Martin-Escolano, Andrea Molero-Salinas, Roberto Alonso, Pilar Catalan, Patricia Munoz, Dario Garcia de Viedma, Laura Perez-Lago
Summary: The study employed four rapid identification methods for the Omicron variant, including melting probes, Sanger sequencing, rapid nanopore whole genome sequencing, and Illumina WGS technology. These methods enabled the rapid identification and confirmation of the Omicron case in Spain.
MICROBIOLOGY SPECTRUM
(2023)