Performance of anterior nares and tongue swabs for nucleic acid, Nucleocapsid, and Spike antigen testing for detecting SARS-CoV-2 against nasopharyngeal PCR and viral culture
Objectives: This study assesses and compares the performance of different swab types and specimen collection sites for SARS-CoV-2 testing, to reference standard real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and viral culture. Methods: Symptomatic adults with COVID-19 who visited...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2022-04-01
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| Series: | International Journal of Infectious Diseases |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1201971222000868 |
| _version_ | 1819174667724783616 |
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| author | Michalina A. Montaño Meagan J. Bemer Kate B. Heller Allison Meisner Zarna Marfatia Elena A. Rechkina Leah R. Padgett Charlotte L. Ahls Douglas Rains Linhui Hao Tien-Ying Hsiang Gerard A. Cangelosi Alexander L. Greninger Jason L. Cantera Allison Golden Roger B. Peck David S. Boyle Michael Gale, Jr Paul K. Drain |
| author_facet | Michalina A. Montaño Meagan J. Bemer Kate B. Heller Allison Meisner Zarna Marfatia Elena A. Rechkina Leah R. Padgett Charlotte L. Ahls Douglas Rains Linhui Hao Tien-Ying Hsiang Gerard A. Cangelosi Alexander L. Greninger Jason L. Cantera Allison Golden Roger B. Peck David S. Boyle Michael Gale, Jr Paul K. Drain |
| author_sort | Michalina A. Montaño |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Objectives: This study assesses and compares the performance of different swab types and specimen collection sites for SARS-CoV-2 testing, to reference standard real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and viral culture. Methods: Symptomatic adults with COVID-19 who visited routine COVID-19 testing sites used spun polyester and FLOQSwabs to self-collect specimens from the anterior nares and tongue. We evaluated the self-collected specimen from anterior nares and tongue swabs for the nucleocapsid (N) or spike (S) antigen of SARS-CoV-2 by RT-PCR and then compared these results with results from RT-PCR and viral cultures from nurse-collected nasopharyngeal swabs. Results: Diagnostic sensitivity was highest for RT-PCR testing conducted using specimens from the anterior nares collected on FLOQSwabs (84%; 95% CI 68-94%) and spun polyester swabs (82%; 95% CI 66-92%), compared to RT-PCR tests conducted using specimens from nasopharyngeal swabs. Relative to viral culture from nasopharyngeal swabs, diagnostic sensitivities were higher for RT-PCR and antigen testing of anterior nares swabs (91-100%) than that of tongue swabs (18-81%). Antigen testing of anterior nares swabs had higher sensitivities against viral culture (91%) than against nasopharyngeal RT-PCR (38-70%). All investigational tests had high specificity compared with nasopharyngeal RT-PCR. Spun polyester swabs are equally effective as FLOQSwabs for anterior nasal RT-PCR testing. Conclusions: We found that anterior nares specimens were more sensitive than tongue swab specimens or antigen testing for detecting SARS-CoV-2 by RT-PCR. Thus, self-collected anterior nares specimens may represent an alternative method for diagnostic SARS-CoV-2 testing in some settings. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-22T20:42:37Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-eff16240d3474357915a98a71b334683 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1201-9712 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-22T20:42:37Z |
| publishDate | 2022-04-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | International Journal of Infectious Diseases |
| spelling | doaj.art-eff16240d3474357915a98a71b3346832022-12-21T18:13:18ZengElsevierInternational Journal of Infectious Diseases1201-97122022-04-01117287294Performance of anterior nares and tongue swabs for nucleic acid, Nucleocapsid, and Spike antigen testing for detecting SARS-CoV-2 against nasopharyngeal PCR and viral cultureMichalina A. Montaño0Meagan J. Bemer1Kate B. Heller2Allison Meisner3Zarna Marfatia4Elena A. Rechkina5Leah R. Padgett6Charlotte L. Ahls7Douglas Rains8Linhui Hao9Tien-Ying Hsiang10Gerard A. Cangelosi11Alexander L. Greninger12Jason L. Cantera13Allison Golden14Roger B. Peck15David S. Boyle16Michael Gale, Jr17Paul K. Drain18Department of Global Health, School of Public Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA; Corresponding Author: Michalina Montano.Department of Global Health, School of Public Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WADepartment of Global Health, School of Public Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WADepartment of Global Health, School of Public Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA; Vaccine and Infectious Diseases Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WADepartment of Global Health, School of Public Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WADepartment of Global Health, School of Public Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WAQuantigen Biosciences, Fishers, INQuantigen Biosciences, Fishers, INQuantigen Biosciences, Fishers, INDepartment of Immunology, Center for Innate Immunity and Immune Disease, University of Washington, Seattle, WADepartment of Immunology, Center for Innate Immunity and Immune Disease, University of Washington, Seattle, WADepartment of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WADepartment of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Washington, Seattle, WAPATH, Seattle, WAPATH, Seattle, WAPATH, Seattle, WAPATH, Seattle, WADepartment of Immunology, Center for Innate Immunity and Immune Disease, University of Washington, Seattle, WADepartment of Global Health, School of Public Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WAObjectives: This study assesses and compares the performance of different swab types and specimen collection sites for SARS-CoV-2 testing, to reference standard real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and viral culture. Methods: Symptomatic adults with COVID-19 who visited routine COVID-19 testing sites used spun polyester and FLOQSwabs to self-collect specimens from the anterior nares and tongue. We evaluated the self-collected specimen from anterior nares and tongue swabs for the nucleocapsid (N) or spike (S) antigen of SARS-CoV-2 by RT-PCR and then compared these results with results from RT-PCR and viral cultures from nurse-collected nasopharyngeal swabs. Results: Diagnostic sensitivity was highest for RT-PCR testing conducted using specimens from the anterior nares collected on FLOQSwabs (84%; 95% CI 68-94%) and spun polyester swabs (82%; 95% CI 66-92%), compared to RT-PCR tests conducted using specimens from nasopharyngeal swabs. Relative to viral culture from nasopharyngeal swabs, diagnostic sensitivities were higher for RT-PCR and antigen testing of anterior nares swabs (91-100%) than that of tongue swabs (18-81%). Antigen testing of anterior nares swabs had higher sensitivities against viral culture (91%) than against nasopharyngeal RT-PCR (38-70%). All investigational tests had high specificity compared with nasopharyngeal RT-PCR. Spun polyester swabs are equally effective as FLOQSwabs for anterior nasal RT-PCR testing. Conclusions: We found that anterior nares specimens were more sensitive than tongue swab specimens or antigen testing for detecting SARS-CoV-2 by RT-PCR. Thus, self-collected anterior nares specimens may represent an alternative method for diagnostic SARS-CoV-2 testing in some settings.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1201971222000868COVID-19SARS-CoV-2diagnostic performanceantigen detection |
| spellingShingle | Michalina A. Montaño Meagan J. Bemer Kate B. Heller Allison Meisner Zarna Marfatia Elena A. Rechkina Leah R. Padgett Charlotte L. Ahls Douglas Rains Linhui Hao Tien-Ying Hsiang Gerard A. Cangelosi Alexander L. Greninger Jason L. Cantera Allison Golden Roger B. Peck David S. Boyle Michael Gale, Jr Paul K. Drain Performance of anterior nares and tongue swabs for nucleic acid, Nucleocapsid, and Spike antigen testing for detecting SARS-CoV-2 against nasopharyngeal PCR and viral culture International Journal of Infectious Diseases COVID-19 SARS-CoV-2 diagnostic performance antigen detection |
| title | Performance of anterior nares and tongue swabs for nucleic acid, Nucleocapsid, and Spike antigen testing for detecting SARS-CoV-2 against nasopharyngeal PCR and viral culture |
| title_full | Performance of anterior nares and tongue swabs for nucleic acid, Nucleocapsid, and Spike antigen testing for detecting SARS-CoV-2 against nasopharyngeal PCR and viral culture |
| title_fullStr | Performance of anterior nares and tongue swabs for nucleic acid, Nucleocapsid, and Spike antigen testing for detecting SARS-CoV-2 against nasopharyngeal PCR and viral culture |
| title_full_unstemmed | Performance of anterior nares and tongue swabs for nucleic acid, Nucleocapsid, and Spike antigen testing for detecting SARS-CoV-2 against nasopharyngeal PCR and viral culture |
| title_short | Performance of anterior nares and tongue swabs for nucleic acid, Nucleocapsid, and Spike antigen testing for detecting SARS-CoV-2 against nasopharyngeal PCR and viral culture |
| title_sort | performance of anterior nares and tongue swabs for nucleic acid nucleocapsid and spike antigen testing for detecting sars cov 2 against nasopharyngeal pcr and viral culture |
| topic | COVID-19 SARS-CoV-2 diagnostic performance antigen detection |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1201971222000868 |
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