Saliva Exhibits High Sensitivity and Specificity for the Detection of SARS-COV-2

Diseases

MuhammadFarooq Umer¹  Eisha Imran²  Hamda Shazam³  Zohaib Khurshid⁴  MuhammadOwais Khan⁵  PaulDesmond Slowey⁶  Ibrahim Warsi⁷  J.Max Goodson⁸ 

[1] Al-Shifa School of Public Health, Al-Shifa Trust, Jhelum Road, Rawalpindi, Punjab 46000, Pakistan;Department of Dental Materials, Institute of Medical Sciences, HITEC Dental College, Taxilla 751010, Pakistan;Department of Oral Pathology, College of Dentistry, Ziauddin University, Karachi 74700, Pakistan;Department of Prosthodontics and Dental Implantology, College of Dentistry, King Faisal University, Al-Ahsa 31982, Saudi Arabia;Dow International Dental College (DIDC), Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi 74200, Pakistan;Health Science Center, School of Public Health, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710061, China;Medical Sciences in Clinical Investigation, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA;The Forsyth Institute, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA;

关键词: saliva;    COVID-19;    SARS-CoV-2;    infection;    diagnosis;    polymerase chain reaction;   

DOI  :  10.3390/diseases9020038

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is crucial to assess the application of a multitude of effective diagnostic specimens for conducting mass testing, for accurate diagnosis and to formulate strategies for its prevention and control. As one of the most versatile and amenable specimen options, saliva offers great advantages for widespread screening strategies due to its non-invasive properties, cost-effectiveness, excellent stability and minimal risk of cross-infection. This review attempts to outline the scientific rationale for detection of SARS-COV-2 in saliva specimens. By combining the data obtained from ten chosen published clinical studies, we calculated the pooled sensitivity and specificity using an online calculator. Through evidence, we established that SARS-COV-2 is detectable in saliva with a high degree of diagnostic sensitivity (87%) and specificity (98%). We also presented a review of emerging technologies approved by the FDA for detection of SARS-COV-2 in oral fluids (saliva and sputum) using polymerase chain reaction methods. Given the challenges involved in obtaining invasive specimens from the naso- and oropharynx, saliva can serve as an easy to collect diagnostic specimen for screening in the work environment, schools and for home testing. Furthermore, saliva offers the opportunity to screen early cases that can be missed by invasive sampling.

【 授权许可】

Unknown