Publication
Saliva Molecular Testing Bypassing RNA Extraction is Suitable for Monitoring and Diagnosing SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Children
| dc.contributor.author | Alenquer, M | |
| dc.contributor.author | Milheiro Silva, T | |
| dc.contributor.author | Akpogheneta, O | |
| dc.contributor.author | Ferreira, F | |
| dc.contributor.author | Vale-Costa, S | |
| dc.contributor.author | Medina-Lopes, M | |
| dc.contributor.author | Batista, F | |
| dc.contributor.author | Garcia, AM | |
| dc.contributor.author | Barreto, VM | |
| dc.contributor.author | Paulino, C | |
| dc.contributor.author | Costa, J | |
| dc.contributor.author | Sobral, J | |
| dc.contributor.author | Diniz-da-Costa, M | |
| dc.contributor.author | Ladeiro, S | |
| dc.contributor.author | Corte-Real, R | |
| dc.contributor.author | Delgado Alves, J | |
| dc.contributor.author | Leite, RB | |
| dc.contributor.author | Demengeot, J | |
| dc.contributor.author | Brito, MJ | |
| dc.contributor.author | Amorim, MJ | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2022-07-29T15:03:17Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2022-07-29T15:03:17Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2022 | |
| dc.description.abstract | Background: Adults are being vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2 worldwide, but the longitudinal protection of these vaccines is uncertain, given the ongoing appearance of SARS-CoV-2 variants. Children remain largely unvaccinated and are susceptible to infection, with studies reporting that they actively transmit the virus even when asymptomatic, thus affecting the community. Methods: We investigated if saliva is an effective sample for detecting SARS-CoV-2 RNA and antibodies in children, and associated viral RNA levels to infectivity. For that, we used a saliva-based SARS-CoV-2 RT-qPCR test, preceded or not by RNA extraction, in 85 children aged 10 years and under, admitted to the hospital regardless of COVID-19 symptomatology. Amongst these, 29 (63.0%) presented at least one COVID-19 symptom, 46 (54.1%) were positive for SARS-CoV-2 infection, 28 (32.9%) were under the age of 1, and the mean (SD) age was 3.8 (3.4) years. Saliva samples were collected up to 48 h after a nasopharyngeal swab-RT-qPCR test. Results: In children aged 10 years and under, the sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of saliva-RT-qPCR tests compared to NP swab-RT-qPCR were, respectively, 84.8% (71.8%-92.4%), 100% (91.0%-100%), and 91.8% (84.0%-96.6%) with RNA extraction, and 81.8% (68.0%-90.5%), 100% (91.0%-100%), and 90.4% (82.1%-95.0%) without RNA extraction. Rescue of infectious particles from saliva was limited to CT values below 26. In addition, we found significant IgM positive responses to SARS-CoV-2 in children positive for SARS-CoV-2 by NP swab and negative by saliva compared to other groups, indicating late infection onset (>7-10 days). Conclusions: Saliva is a suitable sample type for diagnosing children aged 10 years and under, including infants aged <1 year, even bypassing RNA extraction methods. Importantly, the detected viral RNA levels were significantly above the infectivity threshold in several samples. Further investigation is required to correlate SARS-CoV-2 RNA levels to viral transmission. | pt_PT |
| dc.description.version | info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion | pt_PT |
| dc.identifier.citation | PLoS One . 2022 Jun 15;17(6):e0268388 | pt_PT |
| dc.identifier.doi | 10.1371/journal.pone.0268388 | pt_PT |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/10400.17/4175 | |
| dc.language.iso | eng | pt_PT |
| dc.peerreviewed | yes | pt_PT |
| dc.publisher | Public Library of Science | pt_PT |
| dc.subject | Saliva molecular testing | pt_PT |
| dc.subject | SARS-CoV-2/diagnosis | pt_PT |
| dc.subject | Child | pt_PT |
| dc.subject | HDE INF PED | pt_PT |
| dc.title | Saliva Molecular Testing Bypassing RNA Extraction is Suitable for Monitoring and Diagnosing SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Children | pt_PT |
| dc.type | journal article | |
| dspace.entity.type | Publication | |
| oaire.citation.issue | 6 | pt_PT |
| oaire.citation.startPage | e0268388 | pt_PT |
| oaire.citation.title | PLOS ONE | pt_PT |
| oaire.citation.volume | 17 | pt_PT |
| rcaap.rights | openAccess | pt_PT |
| rcaap.type | article | pt_PT |