Saliva molecular testing bypassing RNA extraction is suitable for monitoring and diagnosing SARS-CoV-2 infection in children.
Marta AlenquerTiago Milheiro SilvaOnome AkpoghenetaFilipe FerreiraSílvia Vale-CostaMónica Medina-LopesFrederico BatistaAna Margarida GarciaVasco M BarretoCathy PaulinoJoão CostaJoão SobralMaria Diniz-da-CostaSusana LadeiroRita Corte-RealJosé Delgado AlvesRicardo B LeiteJocelyne DemengeotMaria João Rocha BritoMaria João AmorimPublished in: PloS one (2022)
Saliva is a suitable sample type for diagnosing children aged 10 years and under, including infants aged <1 year, even bypassing RNA extraction methods. Importantly, the detected viral RNA levels were significantly above the infectivity threshold in several samples. Further investigation is required to correlate SARS-CoV-2 RNA levels to viral transmission.