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This new test can detect Covid in saliva accurately

Japan scientists demonstrate how simple new antigen test is

image for illustrative purpose

The test kit detects in 35 minutes and will be conducive  for mass-screening
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21 May 2021 1:05 AM IST

Tokyo Scientists have shown that an antigen-based test for quantifying SARS-CoV-2, the virus behind Covid-19, in saliva samples is simple, accurate, rapid, and more conducive for mass-screening.

A team of scientists from Hokkaido University in Japan used a novel antigen-based kit, Lumipulse SARS-CoV-2 Ag kit (Lumipulse), developed by a Japanese company Fujirebio in June 2020 to assess the efficiency and accuracy of the test compared to RT-PCR. Their findings show that the antigen detection kit, which is used to perform chemiluminescent enzyme immunoassay (CLEIA), can detect SARS-CoV-2 within 35 minutes and with good accuracy. The study was published in the journal The Lancet Microbe.

The scientists tested 2,056 individuals from three cohorts: patients with clinically confirmed Covid-19, individuals who had contacted patients with Covid-19, and individuals tested on arrival at Tokyo and Kansai International Airports. The benefit of using saliva samples is the ease of collection: it is quick and can be collected by the individuals being tested, reducing the risk that healthcare workers are exposed to the virus.

Furthermore, self-collection of saliva allows multiple samples to be collected simultaneously for expeditious screening of visitors at large gatherings. More than a year into the Covid-19 pandemic, the RT-PCR test remains the gold standard for detection of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. This method requires trained personnel at every step, from collection of nasopharyngeal swab (NPS) samples to interpretation of the results; in addition, the entire process ranges from 24-48 hours on average.

As the virus can be transmitted by an infected person before symptoms develop, and is even transmitted by individuals who are asymptomatic, the ability to screen a large number of people quickly is vital to controlling and preventing the spread of the pandemic.

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