Head-to-head comparison of SARS-CoV-2 antigen-detecting rapid test with self-collected nasal swab versus professional-collected nasopharyngeal swab

摘要

A number of antigen-detecting rapid diagnostic tests (Ag-RDTs) for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) are now commercially available and can result in rapid decisions on patient care, isolation and contact tracing at the point of care [1]. Two Ag-RDTs using nasopharyngeal (NP) swab samples meet World Health Organization (WHO) targets and are now approved through the WHO Emergency Use Listing procedure [2–4]. NP swab samples are frequently perceived as uncomfortable by patients and must be collected by trained healthcare personnel with protective equipment. A more complex sampling technique could also result in an incorrect performance in clinical reality, with a possible consequence for test sensitivity. Evidence supports the use of alternative sampling methods for RT-PCR, including nasal swabs collected by patients, and some tests have received regulatory approval with nasal samples [5, 6]. The term nasal sampling is often not used uniformly but can be differentiated in anterior nasal and nasal mid-turbinate sampling [6]. Considering the ease-of-use of Ag-RDTs, a reliable, simple sampling method would not only allow self-sampling, but may also pave the way for self-testing.