UK Health Security Agency, London, United Kingdom; William Harvey Research Institute, Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom; Public Health Wales, Cardiff, United Kingdom.
UK Health Security Agency, London, United Kingdom.
Diagn Microbiol Infect Dis. 2025 Jan;111(1):116577. doi: 10.1016/j.diagmicrobio.2024.116577. Epub 2024 Oct 28.
The Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 raised concerns about the best sampling sites for PCR testing, with early indications suggesting throat swab samples were better than nasal swab samples. Our study evaluated the sensitivity of detecting SARS-CoV-2 across different swabbing sites.
Participants undergoing testing at NHS Test and Trace sites in England provided self-collected samples using nose only, throat only, and combined nose and throat swabs, which were analysed by realtime PCR.
Among 815 participants, combined swabs had higher viral concentrations than nose only or throat only swabs. Sensitivity for detecting SARS-CoV-2 by PCR was 91 % for nose only and 97 % for throat only, relative to the combined approach. VC remained stable in nose swabs but declined in throat swabs with time.
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.
SARS-CoV-2 的奥密克戎变体引发了人们对 PCR 检测最佳采样部位的担忧，早期迹象表明咽拭子样本优于鼻拭子样本。本研究评估了在不同拭子部位检测 SARS-CoV-2 的敏感性。
在英格兰 NHS 检测和追踪点接受检测的参与者使用仅鼻腔、仅咽喉或鼻腔和咽喉联合拭子进行了自我采集样本，这些样本通过实时 PCR 进行了分析。
在 815 名参与者中，联合拭子的病毒浓度高于仅鼻腔或仅咽喉拭子。与联合方法相比，PCR 检测 SARS-CoV-2 的敏感性，仅鼻腔为 91%，仅咽喉为 97%。VC 在鼻腔拭子中保持稳定，但随时间推移在咽喉拭子中下降。
联合鼻腔和咽喉拭子仍然是 SARS-CoV-2 检测最有效的方法。如果仅使用一个拭子，与鼻腔拭子相比，咽喉拭子的敏感性更高，尽管在感染后期，咽喉中的 VC 下降更快。随着时间的推移 VC 的变化以及采样部位之间的个体内变异强调了病毒动力学的复杂性，突出了同时考虑鼻腔和咽喉样本进行全面检测的重要性。
