000			02988nam a22003737a 4500
008			201231s20202020 xxu||||| |||| 00| 0 eng d
024			_a10.1101/2020.10.02.20204859 [doi]
024			_aPMC7553188 [pmc]
040			_aOvid MEDLINE(R)
099			_a33052363
245			_aPooled Saliva Specimens for SARS-CoV-2 Testing.
251			_aMedRxiv : the Preprint Server for Health Sciences. 2020 Oct 05
252			_amedRxiv. 2020 Oct 05
253			_amedRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences
260			_c2020
260			_fFY2021
265			_sepublish
266			_d2020-12-31
520			_aWe evaluated saliva (SAL) specimens for SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR testing by comparison of 459 prospectively paired nasopharyngeal (NP) or mid-turbinate (MT) swabs from 449 individuals with the aim of using saliva for asymptomatic screening. Samples were collected in a drive-through car line for symptomatic individuals (N=380) and in the emergency department (ED) (N=69). The percent positive and negative agreement of saliva compared to nasopharyngeal swab were 81.1% (95% CI: 65.8% - 90.5%) and 99.8% (95% CI: 98.7% - 100%), respectively. The sensitivity increased to 90.0% (95% CI: 74.4% - 96.5%) when considering only samples with moderate to high viral load (Cycle threshold (Ct) for the NP <=34). Pools of five saliva specimens were also evaluated on three platforms: bioMerieux NucliSENS easyMAG with ABI 7500Fast (CDC assay), Hologic Panther Fusion, and Roche COBAS 6800. The median loss of signal upon pooling was 2-4 Ct values across the platforms. The sensitivity of detecting a positive specimen in a pool compared with testing individually was 100%, 93%, and 95% for CDC 2019-nCoV Real-Time RT-PCR, Panther Fusion R SARS-CoV-2 assay, and cobas R SARS-CoV-2 test respectively, with decreased sample detection trending with lower viral load. We conclude that although pooled saliva testing, as collected in this study, is not quite as sensitive as NP/MT testing, saliva testing is adequate to detect individuals with higher viral loads in an asymptomatic screening program, does not require swabs or viral transport media for collection, and may help to improve voluntary screening compliance for those individuals averse to various forms of nasal collections.
546			_aEnglish
650			_aIN PROCESS -- NOT YET INDEXED
651			_aMedStar Health Research Institute
651			_aMedStar Washington Hospital Center
656			_aMedicine/Infectious Diseases
656			_aNursing
657			_aPreprint
700			_aMoriarty, Theresa
700			_aSawney, Shari
700			_aTanjutco, Patricia
700			_aWortmann, Glenn W
790			_aBarat B, Das S, De Giorgi V, Frank KM, Henderson DK, Kopka S, Lau AF, Miller T, Moriarty T, Palmore TN, Sawney S, Spalding C, Tanjutco P, Wortmann G, Zelazny AM
856			_uhttps://dx.doi.org/10.1101/2020.10.02.20204859 _zhttps://dx.doi.org/10.1101/2020.10.02.20204859
942			_cART _dArticle
999			_c5999 _d5999