COVID‐19: Nasal and oropharyngeal swab

Abstract

Performing a proper nasal and oropharyngeal swab procedure is essential in the screening of COVID‐19 infection. The video illustration of nasal and oropharyngeal swab is presented (Video S1). To correctly perform the nasopharyngeal swab, the patient must be seated comfortably with the back of their head against the headrest. The swab is inserted in the nose horizontally, along an imaginary line between the nostril and the ear. Oropharyngeal sampling is easier to perform. The swab is directed toward the rear wall of the oropharynx and it is rotated a few times before removal. After taking the sample, it is necessary to insert both swabs in the same tube, breaking the rod with one swift and controlled movement. Finally, carefully reset the cap. It appears to be extremely important to properly collect nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal swabs in order to minimize the false negative rate among COVID‐19 positive patients.

Periodontal pockets: A potential reservoir for SARS-CoV-2?

“…The believed target cells of this newly discovered virus are within the respiratory tract but other locations such as the heart or the gastro-intestinal tract are plausible targets [6] . Until now, mainly nasal and sometimes oropharyngeal swabs, has been used to determine if patients are Covid-positive or negative, by using a polymerase chain reaction test (PCR) [7] . Nevertheless, cases of Covid-negative patients by PCR test, showing obvious clinical signs of the disease have been reported [8] , [9] .…”

Comparison of patient-collected and lab technician-collected nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal swabs for detection of COVID-19 by RT-PCR

“…So as stated above, PCR testing alone can lead to false negative results and is not able to detect COVID-19 (16,(19)(20)(21)(22). CDC proposes the superiority of PCR testing in the first week after infection because it takes 1-3 weeks for the body to make antibodies and after that period, serologic tests are preferred (23)(24)(25)(26). Therefore, a combination of PCR and serologic tests are the best laboratory diagnostic approach to detection of COVID-19 (27)(28)(29).…”

Laboratory-Based Resources for COVID-19 Diagnostics: Traditional Tools and Novel Technologies. A Perspective of Personalized Medicine

“…The RT-PCR method, which showed successful results in testing the seasonal influenza virus, has been approved by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a diagnostic standard for diagnostics and detection of SARS-CoV-2 [ 19 , 35 , 36 , 37 ]. Testing is carried out in a screening mode among asymptomatic patients with suspected contacts with SARS-CoV-2 carriers, for early detection or assessment of trends in the progress of infection [ 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 ].…”