Evaluation of saliva molecular point of care for detection of SARS-CoV-2 in ambulatory care
Background: The rapid identification of SARS-CoV-2 infected individuals is a cornerstone in strategies for the control of virus spread. The sensitivity of SARS-CoV-2 RNA detection by RT-PCR is similar in saliva and nasopharyngeal swab. Rapid molecular point-of-care tests in saliva could facilitate, broaden and speed up the diagnosis. Objectives and methods: We conducted a prospective study in two community COVID-19 screening centers to evaluate the performances of a CE-marked RT-LAMP assay (EasyCoV) specifically designed for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA from fresh saliva samples, compared to nasopharyngeal RT-PCR as reference test, saliva RT-PCR and nasopharyngeal antigen testing. Results: Overall, 117 of the 1718 participants (7%) were tested positive with nasopharyngeal RT-PCR. Sensitivities of saliva RT-PCR and nasopharyngeal antigen test were 93% (95% Confidence Interval (95%CI): 86-97) and 85% (95%CI: 77-91), respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of the RT-LAMP assay in saliva were 34% (95%CI: 26-44) and 97% (95%CI: 96-98). The performance was similar in symptomatic and asymptomatic participants and whatever the reference standard considered. Ct values of nasopharyngeal RT-PCR were significantly lower in the 40 true positive subjects with saliva RT-LAMP (Ct 25.9) than in the 48 false negative subjects with saliva RT-LAMP (Ct 28.4) (p=0.028). Conclusion: In the ambulatory setting, the detection of SARS-CoV-2 from crude saliva samples with the RT-LAMP assay had a lower sensitivity than nasopharyngeal RT-PCR, saliva RT-PCR and nasopharyngeal antigen testing.