Original Research Article
Year: 2021 | Month: March | Volume: 8 | Issue: 3 | Pages: 672-678
Whole Saliva (Oral Bio Fluid) as a Non-Invasive Biological Marker or Specimen for Detecting the Novel Corona Virus in Covid-19 Patients: A Multicentric Study in Surat, Gujarat Population
Gunvant Parmar1, Neeta Khandelwal2, Stuti Jhala3, Apexa Rana3
1Professor & Head, Department of Dentistry, Govt. Medical College Surat.
2Professor, Department of Microbiology, Govt. Medical College Surat
3Tutor, Department of Dentistry, Govt. Medical College Surat.
Corresponding Author: Gunvant Parmar
ABSTRACT
Covid-19 is a respiratory disease caused by the SARS COV-2 virus. WHO states sample collection on upper respiratory specimens, including nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal swabs along with endotracheal aspirate and bronchoalveolar lavage, among the various sample collection methods saliva has been investigated and reported as a potential source for diagnosis. Thus we propose to evaluate the current situation to investigate the potential use of saliva sample as a noninvasive tool for diagnosis of covid-19.
Objective: We aimed to detect and estimate the potential use of saliva as a noninvasive tool for diagnostic of SARS- cov-2
Methods: A study was conducted among 200 individuals who attended the designated Covid Hospital, Surat, and Gujarat between 19/10/2020 to 1/12/2020. We collected saliva samples along with the nasal and oral swabs. Real time polymerase chain reaction was performed, and the results of the saliva samples and nasal/oral swabs were compared.
Results: A total of 200 samples were analyzed. 20%samples were tested positive in both swab and saliva and 82 % were tested negative from both the samples. From the overall samples, 11 % were tested positive from swab samples but were negative from saliva samples. However 5% of the samples were tested positive from saliva sample but were negative for swab samples. In the overall samples there was a significant difference in the results between the swab and saliva samples (p<0.001) the Wilcox on signed rank test between the saliva and swab results revealed a similar pattern in Surat.
Conclusions: the collection of saliva samples is non invasive and non aerosol generating with significant advantages, such as lower cost, easy to obtain, sample self collection, lower risk of contamination and there is no need of trained staff for sample collection. So it should an alternative specimen for the diagnosis of covid-19.
Keywords: oral biofluid, whole saliva, biological marker, covid-19, corona virus.
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