tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Med Oral Patol Oral Cir Bucal
. 2021 Feb 20;24424.
doi: 10.4317/medoral.24424. Online ahead of print.
Evaluation of saliva as a complementary technique to the diagnosis of COVID-19: a systematic review
K Sagredo-Olivares[SUP] 1 [/SUP], C Morales-G?mez, J Aitken-Saavedra
Affiliations
Abstract
Background: Infectious disease coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) is caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, and it mainly affects the upper respiratory tract. The gold standard for its diagnosis is real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) performed on a nasopharyngeal swab. In contrast, testing saliva has significant advantages as a diagnostic method.
Material and methods: We searched for articles evaluating saliva as a diagnostic method for COVID-19 on the PUBMED/MEDLINE, WEB OF SCIENCE, COCHRANE, and SCIELO platforms. We initially found 233 articles and 20 were selected for inclusion following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses protocol: 18 cross-sectional studies and 2 case reports, including 8 from America, 8 from Asia, and 4 from Europe. The studies evaluated the presence of viral RNA, IgG, IgM, and IgA in samples of unstimulated saliva from adults with confirmed or suspected COVID-19. The vast majority of the studies performed RT-qPCR on the saliva samples and compared the results with the gold standard (a nasopharyngeal swab of the same patient).
Results: Saliva samples analyzed by RT-qPCR, reverse transcription isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP), spectroscopy, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) offer high sensitivity to detect SARS-CoV-2 in the early stages of the disease and among asymptomatic patients as compared to nasopharyngeal swab RT-qPCR. In addition, the self-collection of saliva offers the possibility of receiving telemedicine instructions to carry out the test, reducing the risk of contagion.
Conclusions: The diagnosis of COVID-19 through saliva is sensitive, non-invasive, and is of low risk for the healthcare professionals. However, further studies are recommended to validate its clinical use.
. 2021 Feb 20;24424.
doi: 10.4317/medoral.24424. Online ahead of print.
Evaluation of saliva as a complementary technique to the diagnosis of COVID-19: a systematic review
K Sagredo-Olivares[SUP] 1 [/SUP], C Morales-G?mez, J Aitken-Saavedra
Affiliations
- PMID: 33609022
- DOI: 10.4317/medoral.24424
Abstract
Background: Infectious disease coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) is caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, and it mainly affects the upper respiratory tract. The gold standard for its diagnosis is real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) performed on a nasopharyngeal swab. In contrast, testing saliva has significant advantages as a diagnostic method.
Material and methods: We searched for articles evaluating saliva as a diagnostic method for COVID-19 on the PUBMED/MEDLINE, WEB OF SCIENCE, COCHRANE, and SCIELO platforms. We initially found 233 articles and 20 were selected for inclusion following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses protocol: 18 cross-sectional studies and 2 case reports, including 8 from America, 8 from Asia, and 4 from Europe. The studies evaluated the presence of viral RNA, IgG, IgM, and IgA in samples of unstimulated saliva from adults with confirmed or suspected COVID-19. The vast majority of the studies performed RT-qPCR on the saliva samples and compared the results with the gold standard (a nasopharyngeal swab of the same patient).
Results: Saliva samples analyzed by RT-qPCR, reverse transcription isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP), spectroscopy, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) offer high sensitivity to detect SARS-CoV-2 in the early stages of the disease and among asymptomatic patients as compared to nasopharyngeal swab RT-qPCR. In addition, the self-collection of saliva offers the possibility of receiving telemedicine instructions to carry out the test, reducing the risk of contagion.
Conclusions: The diagnosis of COVID-19 through saliva is sensitive, non-invasive, and is of low risk for the healthcare professionals. However, further studies are recommended to validate its clinical use.