Comparative evaluation of swabbing sites for Omicron variant detection in PCR testing
Combined nose and throat swabbing remains the most effective method for SARS-CoV-2 detection. If a single swab is used, a throat swab has a higher sensitivity than nose swabs, although VC in the throat decreases faster in later infection stages. The variations in VC over time and intra-person variation between sampling sites underscore the complexity of viral dynamics, highlighting the importance of considering both nose and throat samples for comprehensive testing.
Authors
- Peter Marks (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5619-4404)
- Alasdair Fellows
- Edward Blandford (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8846-2650)
- Emily C. Sheppard
- Carolyn Lewis (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8251-1095)
- Tim Peto (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3477-8307)
- Susan Hopkins (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5179-5702)
- Sarah Tunkel (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4898-2472)
- Matthias E. Futschik (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6245-8071)
- Raghavendran Kulasegaran‐Shylini (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4303-5716)
- Tom Fowler (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7258-2279)
- Andy Vail (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8274-2726)
- Leanne McCabe (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6509-8999)
- Michael Kidd (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5264-9712)
- Paul E. Klapper (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9554-4857)
- Malur Sudhanva (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8415-4469)
- Andrew Dodgson
- David Chapman
Institutions
- Queen Mary University of London (GB)
- University of Manchester (GB)
- National Institute for Health and Care Research (GB)
- Manchester Digital Development Agency (GB)
- King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (GB)
- Deloitte (United Kingdom) (GB)
- UK Health Security Agency (GB)
- University of Plymouth (GB)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Diagnostic Microbiology and Infectious Disease
- Published
- 2024-10-28
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.diagmicrobio.2024.116577
- Citations
- 4
- Primary Topic
- Advanced biosensing and bioanalysis techniques
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.94
Funders
- Public Health England