Dry Swabs and Dried Saliva as Alternative Samples for SARS-CoV-2 Detection in Remote Areas in Lao PDR.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 circulation is mainly based on real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, which requires laboratory facilities and cold chain for sample transportation. This is difficult to achieve in remote rural areas of resource-limited settings. The use of dried blood spots shipped at room temperature has shown good efficiency for the detection of arboviral RNA. Using a similar approach, we conducted a study at 3 provincial hospitals in Laos to compare the detection of SARS-CoV-2 from neat and dried spot samples.

Methods

Between January 2022 and March 2023, patients with respiratory symptoms were recruited. Nasopharyngeal/oropharyngeal swabs in virus transport medium (VTM), dry swabs, saliva, and dried saliva spotted on filter paper

SUBMITTER: Sibounheuang B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11322834 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature