CEMIC - CONICET   26185
CENTRO DE EDUCACION MEDICA E INVESTIGACIONES CLINICAS "NORBERTO QUIRNO"
Unidad Ejecutora - UE
artículos
Título:
Saliva screening of health care workers for SARS-CoV-2 detection
Autor/es:
RODRIGUEZ PAMELA ELIZABETH; ALEJANDRO SEOANE; STRYJEWSKI, MARTIN E.; REYES, NOELIA SOLEDAD; YPAS MARTIN ; MARIANELA BRIZIO; MARCELA ECHAVARRIA; CARMEN RICARTE; MARCIA QUERCI; CARBALLAL GUADALUPE
Revista:
REVISTA ARGENTINA DE MICROBIOLOGíA
Editorial:
ASOCIACION ARGENTINA MICROBIOLOGIA
Referencias:
Año: 2022
ISSN:
0325-7541
Resumen:
Health care workers (HCWs) are at high risk for SARS-CoV-2. In addition, pre-symptomatic or asymptomatic transmission accounts for around half of the cases. Saliva testing is an option to detect SARS-CoV-2 infection. To determine the performance of saliva samples for screening, HCWs were tested for SARS-CoV-2 by RT-PCR. Those with a positive result in saliva were tested by nasopharyngeal swabbing for viral RNA detection and blood collection to search for the presence of specific antibodies. In September?October 2020, 100 HCWs were enrolled and followed up. Six subjects (6%) tested positive in saliva. Of them, 5/6 were positive in a subsequent nasopharyngeal swab and 4/6 developed signs and symptoms compatible with COVID-19. Among the latter, 3 seroconverted while asymptomatic HCWs remained seronegative. Saliva screening was helpful for identifying SARS-CoV-2 infection in HCWs. This screening permitted rapid personnel isolation avoiding further transmission of the virus in the hospital setting.