Sensitivity of nasopharyngeal, oropharyngeal, and nasal wash specimens for SARS-CoV-2 detection in the setting of sampling device shortage

Calame, Adrien; Mazza, Léna; Renzoni, Adriana Maria; Kaiser, Laurent; Schibler, Manuel

doi:10.1007/s10096-020-04039-8

Scientific article

English

Sensitivity of nasopharyngeal, oropharyngeal, and nasal wash specimens for SARS-CoV-2 detection in the setting of sampling device shortage

ContributorsCalame, Adrien; Mazza, Léna; Renzoni, Adriana Maria; Kaiser, Laurent; Schibler, Manuel

Published inEuropean Journal of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases, vol. 40, no. 2, p. 441-445

Publication date2021

Abstract

In the context of an unprecedented shortage of nasopharyngeal swabs (NPS) or sample transport media during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) crisis, alternative methods for sample collection are needed. To address this need, we validated a cell culture medium as a viral transport medium, and compared the analytical sensitivity of SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR in nasal wash (NW), oropharyngeal swab (OPS), and NPS specimens. Both the clinical and analytical sensitivity were comparable in these three sample types. OPS and NW specimens may therefore represent suitable alternatives to NPS for SARS-CoV-2 detection.

Keywords

COVID-19/diagnosis
Culture Media
Humans
Nasopharynx/virology
Nose/virology
Oropharynx/virology
Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction/methods
SARS-CoV-2/isolation & purification
Specimen Handling/methods

Affiliation entities

Faculté de médecine / Section de médecine clinique / Département de médecine

Research groups

Citation (ISO format)

CALAME, Adrien et al. Sensitivity of nasopharyngeal, oropharyngeal, and nasal wash specimens for SARS-CoV-2 detection in the setting of sampling device shortage. In: European Journal of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases, 2021, vol. 40, n° 2, p. 441–445. doi: 10.1007/s10096-020-04039-8