Diagnostic accuracy of non-invasive SARS-CoV-2 screening tests: a national prospective analysis.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Providing non-invasive, accurate and affordable SARS-CoV-2 tests represents a public health priority, to better control the spread of the virus while protecting healthcare workers. Saliva is a robust alternative to nasopharyngeal (NP) swabs, but there is heterogeneity in collection and pre-analytical methods.

Methods

Relying on a national COVID-19 Public Health Programme, we prospectively recruited 3,488 symptomatic and asymptomatic adults attending the Monaco community centre for NP RT-PCR testing from February 2021-2023. Saliva was concomitantly obtained with either a buccal swab or an oral sponge (OS) and analysed by an RT-PCR assay and a fully automated electrochemiluminescence enzyme immunoassay (ECLIA) rapid antigen test (RAT).

Results

The sensitivity

SUBMITTER: Althaus T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12096796 | biostudies-literature | 2025 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature