Exploring alternative swabs for use in SARS-CoV-2 detection from the oropharynx and anterior nares

Glenn Patriquin; Ian Davis; Charles Heinstein; Jimmy MacDonald; Todd F Hatchette; Jason J LeBlanc

doi:10.1016/j.jviromet.2020.113948

Exploring alternative swabs for use in SARS-CoV-2 detection from the oropharynx and anterior nares

J Virol Methods. 2020 Nov:285:113948. doi: 10.1016/j.jviromet.2020.113948. Epub 2020 Aug 9.

Authors

Glenn Patriquin¹, Ian Davis², Charles Heinstein³, Jimmy MacDonald³, Todd F Hatchette², Jason J LeBlanc²

Affiliations

¹ Division of Microbiology, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Nova Scotia Health Authority (NSHA), Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada; Departments of Pathology, Medicine, and Microbiology and Immunology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. Electronic address: glenn.patriquin@nshealth.ca.
² Division of Microbiology, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Nova Scotia Health Authority (NSHA), Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada; Departments of Pathology, Medicine, and Microbiology and Immunology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
³ Division of Microbiology, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Nova Scotia Health Authority (NSHA), Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a worldwide shortage of nasopharyngeal swabs and universal transport media. This study evaluated a combined oropharynx/nares (OP/Na) sample collection using two readily-available non-flocked swabs, transported in phosphate-buffered saline, and demonstrates equivalent performance in SARS-CoV-2 detection compared to a previously-validated OP/Na collection kit.

Keywords: COVID-19; Nares; Oropharyngeal; PCR; SARS-CoV-2; Swab.

MeSH terms

Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Betacoronavirus* / genetics
Betacoronavirus* / immunology
Betacoronavirus* / isolation & purification
COVID-19
COVID-19 Testing
Clinical Laboratory Techniques* / methods
Clinical Laboratory Techniques* / standards
Coronavirus Infections / diagnosis*
Coronavirus Infections / virology*
Female
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Nasal Cavity / virology*
Oropharynx / virology*
Pandemics
Pneumonia, Viral / diagnosis*
Pneumonia, Viral / virology*
Polymerase Chain Reaction
SARS-CoV-2
Sensitivity and Specificity
Specimen Handling