Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Comparative Study
. 2021 Sep 1;40(9):e351-e353.
doi: 10.1097/INF.0000000000003191.

Respiratory Pathogen Detection in Children: Saliva as a Diagnostic Specimen

Emma M de Koff  1   2 , Sjoerd M Euser  3 , Paul Badoux  3 , Judith Sluiter-Post  1 , Dirk Eggink  4 , Elisabeth A M Sanders  2   4 , Marlies A van Houten  1   5
Affiliations
Comparative Study

Respiratory Pathogen Detection in Children: Saliva as a Diagnostic Specimen

Emma M de Koff et al. Pediatr Infect Dis J. .

Abstract

We compared pathogen detection between saliva, nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal swabs in children with respiratory symptoms. The sensitivity in nasopharyngeal swabs was 93% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 78%-98%), in oropharyngeal swabs 79% (95% CI: 60%-90%), in saliva overall 76% (95% CI: 58%-88%) and in 18 saliva samples collected with drooling or sponges, 94% (95% CI: 74%-99%). Saliva could be a relevant specimen alternative.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

M.A.v.H. has received grants from Pfizer unrelated to this work. The other authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.

References

    1. Mahony JB. Detection of respiratory viruses by molecular methods. Clin Microbiol Rev. 2008;21:716–747.
    1. Robinson JL, Lee BE, Kothapalli S, et al. Use of throat swab or saliva specimens for detection of respiratory viruses in children. Clin Infect Dis. 2008;46:e61–e64.
    1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Information for Pediatric Healthcare Providers: Infections Among Children. Published 2020. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/pediatric-hcp.html . Accessed November 17, 2020.
    1. Corman VM, Landt O, Kaiser M, et al. Detection of 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) by real-time RT-PCR. Euro Surveill. 2020;25:1–8.
    1. To KKW, Yip CCY, Lai CYW, et al. Saliva as a diagnostic specimen for testing respiratory virus by a point-of-care molecular assay: a diagnostic validity study. Clin Microbiol Infect. 2019;25:372–378.

Publication types

MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources