Comparing SARS-CoV-2 Testing in Anterior Nasal Vestibular Swabs vs. Oropharyngeal Swabs

Meiyan Li; Ruoyan Wei; Yaling Yang; Taiwen He; Yinzhong Shen; Tangkai Qi; Tian Han; Zhigang Song; Zhaoqin Zhu; Xiaopeng Ma; Yixiao Lin; Yasheng Yuan; Keqing Zhao; Hongzhou Lu; Xingtao Zhou

doi:10.3389/fcimb.2021.653794

Comparing SARS-CoV-2 Testing in Anterior Nasal Vestibular Swabs vs. Oropharyngeal Swabs

Front Cell Infect Microbiol. 2021 Jul 7:11:653794. doi: 10.3389/fcimb.2021.653794. eCollection 2021.

Authors

Meiyan Li^{1

2

3}, Ruoyan Wei^{1

2

3}, Yaling Yang⁴, Taiwen He⁴, Yinzhong Shen⁵, Tangkai Qi⁵, Tian Han^{1

2

3}, Zhigang Song⁶, Zhaoqin Zhu⁷, Xiaopeng Ma⁸, Yixiao Lin⁵, Yasheng Yuan⁹, Keqing Zhao⁹, Hongzhou Lu⁵, Xingtao Zhou^{1

2

3}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Ophthalmology and Optometry, Eye and ENT Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
² NHC Key Laboratory of Myopia, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
³ Shanghai Research Center of Ophthalmology and Optometry, Shanghai, China.
⁴ Department of Ophthalmology, Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, Shanghai, China.
⁵ Department of Infectious Diseases and Immunology, Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, Shanghai, China.
⁶ Department of Pathogen Diagnosis and Biosafety, Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, Shanghai, China.
⁷ Department of Laboratory Medicine, Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, Shanghai, China.
⁸ Shanghai Research Institute of Acupuncture and Meridian, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China.
⁹ Department of Otolaryngology, Eye and ENT Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.

Abstract

Purpose: To investigate the sensitivity of SARS-CoV-2 testing in specimens collected from the anterior nasal vestibules of COVID-19 patients.

Methods: A cross-sectional analysis was performed on 30 patients with a confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19 at the Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center from March 14, 2020 to March 21, 2020. Paired specimens were collected from both the anterior nasal vestibule and the oropharynx from all patients. All specimens were tested for SARS-CoV-2 using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assays.

Results: Of the 30 patients with confirmed COVID-19, 17 patients (56.7%) tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 when oropharyngeal specimens were used, while 20 patients (66.7%) tested positive when nasal swab specimens were used. There was no statistically significant difference in sensitivity between the two methods.

Conclusions: Respiratory swabs collected from the nasal vestibule offer a less invasive alternative to oropharyngeal swabs for specimen collection in the detection of SARS-CoV-2 infection, and have adequate sensitivity.

Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; diagnostics; nasal vestibule; transmission.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

COVID-19 Testing
COVID-19*
China / epidemiology
Cross-Sectional Studies
Humans
Nasopharynx
SARS-CoV-2*
Specimen Handling