1. Comparison of RT-PCR and antigen test sensitivity across nasopharyngeal, nares, and oropharyngeal swab, and saliva sample types during the SARS-CoV-2 omicron variant
- Author
-
Gregory L. Damhorst, Jessica Lin, Jennifer K. Frediani, Julie A. Sullivan, Adrianna Westbrook, Kaleb McLendon, Tyler J. Baugh, William H. O'Sick, John D. Roback, Anne L. Piantadosi, Jesse J. Waggoner, Leda Bassit, Anuradha Rao, Morgan Greenleaf, Jared W. O'Neal, Seegar Swanson, Nira R. Pollock, Greg S. Martin, Wilbur A. Lam, and Joshua M. Levy
- Subjects
SARS-CoV-2 ,COVID-19 testing ,SARS-CoV-2 variants ,Point of care testing ,Science (General) ,Q1-390 ,Social sciences (General) ,H1-99 - Abstract
Limited data highlight the need to understand differences in SARS-CoV-2 omicron (B.1.1.529) variant viral load between the gold standard nasopharyngeal (NP) swab, mid-turbinate (MT)/anterior nasal swabs, oropharyngeal (OP) swabs, and saliva. MT, OP, and saliva samples from symptomatic individuals in Atlanta, GA, in January 2022 and longitudinal samples from a small familial cohort were tested by both RT-PCR and ultrasensitive antigen assays. Higher concentrations in the nares were observed in the familial cohort, but a dominant sample type was not found among 39 cases in the cross-sectional cohort. The composite of positive MT or OP assay for both RT-PCR and antigen assay trended toward higher diagnostic yield but did not achieve significant difference. Our data did not identify a singular preferred sample type for SARS-CoV-2 testing, but higher levels of saliva nucleocapsid, a trend toward higher yield of composite OP/MT result, and association of apparent MT or OP predominance with symptoms warrant further study.
- Published
- 2024
- Full Text
- View/download PDF