We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. This includes personalizing content and advertising. To learn more, click here. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies. Cookie Policy.

Features Partner Sites Information LinkXpress hp
Sign In
Advertise with Us

Seegene

Seegene, Inc. is a developer of multiplex molecular technologies and multiplex clinical molecular diagnostics for inf... read more Featured Products: More products

Download Mobile App





Saliva Tests Are as Accurate and Effective as Nasopharyngeal Tests in Precisely Diagnosing COVID-19, Finds Study

By LabMedica International staff writers
Posted on 17 Feb 2021
A new study has shown that the less-invasive saliva test for COVID-19 gives just as accurate results as those of the nasopharyngeal specimen.

A research team at the Department of Laboratory Medicine at Kangwon National University School of Medicine (Seoul, Korea) carried out the PCR test for COVID-19 on 90 hospitalized individuals with suspected COVID-19, both with saliva and nasopharyngeal methods. More...
In order to collect sufficient specimen, samples were collected from study participants, who were required to refrain from any activities including eating, drinking, and smoking, for 30 minutes after they got up in the morning.

For the study, the research team had used Seegene, Inc.’s (Seoul, Korea) COVID-19 tests, the Allplex SARS-CoV-2 Assay and Allplex SARS-CoV-2/FluA/FluB/RSV Assay. While the Allplex SARS-CoV-2 Assay targets four different genes of COVID-19, the Allplex SARS-CoV-2/FluA/FluB/RSV Assay is known to detect and differentiate eight target genes, including COVID-19, influenza and RSV common cold.

As a result, both the Allplex SARS-CoV-2 Assay and Allplex SARS-CoV-2/FluA/FluB/RSV Assay proved the saliva and nasopharyngeal test's percentage agreement for detecting COVID-19 was over 98.8%. That means COVID-19 diagnostic tests give equally accurate and effective test results for COVID-19 when testing saliva and nasopharyngeal specimen.

The research team also conducted a separate study on extraction-free application, one without the nucleic acid extraction step, and found the percentage agreement between Seegene's extraction-free saliva test and extraction-free nasopharyngeal swab test to be over 96%. In other words, the extraction-free method using the saliva sampling would be just as applicable for the PCR test in detecting SARS-CoV-2.

"The demand for saliva-based COVID-19 tests is on the rise, as the world still battles with short supply of specimen collecting swab for nasopharyngeal tests," said Professor Suh, the lead researcher of the study, adding that the study has "clearly proven that saliva tests are just as accurate and effective as nasopharyngeal tests in precisely diagnosing COVID-19."

Related Links:
Kangwon National University School of Medicine
Seegene, Inc.


Gold Member
SARS‑CoV‑2/Flu A/Flu B/RSV Sample-To-Answer Test
SARS‑CoV‑2/Flu A/Flu B/RSV Cartridge (CE-IVD)
Portable Electronic Pipette
Mini 96
New
Gold Member
Cardiovascular Risk Test
Metabolic Syndrome Array I & II
New
Anterior Nasal Specimen Collection Swabs
53-1195-TFS, 53-0100-TFS, 53-0101-TFS, 53-4582-TFS
Read the full article by registering today, it's FREE! It's Free!
Register now for FREE to LabMedica.com and get access to news and events that shape the world of Clinical Laboratory Medicine.
  • Free digital version edition of LabMedica International sent by email on regular basis
  • Free print version of LabMedica International magazine (available only outside USA and Canada).
  • Free and unlimited access to back issues of LabMedica International in digital format
  • Free LabMedica International Newsletter sent every week containing the latest news
  • Free breaking news sent via email
  • Free access to Events Calendar
  • Free access to LinkXpress new product services
  • REGISTRATION IS FREE AND EASY!
Click here to Register








Channels

Molecular Diagnostics

view channel
Image: Colorectal cancer under the microscope (Photo courtesy of Adobe Stock)

Unique Microbial Fingerprint to Improve Diagnosis of Colorectal Cancer

Colorectal cancer is the fourth most common cancer in the UK and the second deadliest. New research has revealed that it carries a unique microbial fingerprint, which could help doctors better understand... Read more

Hematology

view channel
Image: New research points to protecting blood during radiation therapy (Photo courtesy of 123RF)

Pioneering Model Measures Radiation Exposure in Blood for Precise Cancer Treatments

Scientists have long focused on protecting organs near tumors during radiotherapy, but blood — a vital, circulating tissue — has largely been excluded from dose calculations. Each blood cell passing through... Read more

Immunology

view channel
Image: The VENTANA HER2 (4B5) test is now CE-IVDR approved (Photo courtesy of Roche)

Companion Diagnostic Test Identifies HER2-Ultralow Breast Cancer and Biliary Tract Cancer Patients

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in Europe, with more than 564,000 new cases and 145,000 deaths annually. Metastatic breast cancer is rising in younger populations and remains the leading cause... Read more

Technology

view channel
Image: Conceptual design of the CORAL capsule for microbial sampling in the small intestine (H. Mohammed et al., Device (2025). DOI: 10.1016/j.device.2025.100904)

Coral-Inspired Capsule Samples Hidden Bacteria from Small Intestine

The gut microbiome has been linked to conditions ranging from immune disorders to mental health, yet conventional stool tests often fail to capture bacterial populations in the small intestine.... Read more
Copyright © 2000-2025 Globetech Media. All rights reserved.