Tania Desmet1, Peter De Paepe1, Jerina Boelens2, Liselotte Coorevits2, Elizaveta Padalko2, Stien Vandendriessche2, Isabel Leroux-Roels2,3, Annelies Aerssens3, Steven Callens4, Eva Van Braeckel5, Thomas Malfait5, Frank Vermassen6, Bruno Verhasselt7. 1. Emergency Department, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium. 2. Department of Medical Microbiology, Ghent University Hospital, 9000, Ghent, Belgium. 3. Department of Infection Control, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium. 4. Department of Internal Medicine & Infectious diseases, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium. 5. Department of Respiratory Medicine, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium. 6. Department of Thoracic and Vascular Surgery, Chief Physician and Head of COVID-19 task force, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium. 7. Department of Medical Microbiology, Ghent University Hospital, 9000, Ghent, Belgium. Bruno.verhasselt@uzgent.be.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Early 2020, a COVID-19 epidemic became a public health emergency of international concern. To address this pandemic broad testing with an easy, comfortable and reliable testing method is of utmost concern. Nasopharyngeal (NP) swab sampling is the reference method though hampered by international supply shortages. A new oropharyngeal/nasal (OP/N) sampling method was investigated using the more readily available throat swab. RESULTS: 35 patients were diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2 by means of either NP or OP/N sampling. The paired swabs were both positive in 31 patients. The one patient who tested negative on both NP and OP/N swab on admission, was ultimately diagnosed on bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. A strong correlation was found between the viral RNA loads of the paired swabs (r = 0.76; P < 0.05). The sensitivity of NP and OP/N analysis in hospitalized patients (n = 28) was 89.3% and 92.7% respectively. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates equivalence of NP and OP/N sampling for detection of SARS-CoV-2 by means of rRT-PCR. Sensitivity of both NP and OP/N sampling is very high in hospitalized patients.
BACKGROUND: Early 2020, a COVID-19epidemic became a public health emergency of international concern. To address this pandemic broad testing with an easy, comfortable and reliable testing method is of utmost concern. Nasopharyngeal (NP) swab sampling is the reference method though hampered by international supply shortages. A new oropharyngeal/nasal (OP/N) sampling method was investigated using the more readily available throat swab. RESULTS: 35 patients were diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2 by means of either NP or OP/N sampling. The paired swabs were both positive in 31 patients. The one patient who tested negative on both NP and OP/N swab on admission, was ultimately diagnosed on bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. A strong correlation was found between the viral RNA loads of the paired swabs (r = 0.76; P < 0.05). The sensitivity of NP and OP/N analysis in hospitalized patients (n = 28) was 89.3% and 92.7% respectively. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates equivalence of NP and OP/N sampling for detection of SARS-CoV-2 by means of rRT-PCR. Sensitivity of both NP and OP/N sampling is very high in hospitalized patients.
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