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Volume 29, Number 9—September 2023
Dispatch

Evaluating SARS-CoV-2 Saliva and Dried Blood Spot Surveillance Strategies in a Congregate Population

Liana R. Andronescu, Stephanie A. Richard, Eric D. Laing, Nora Pisanic, Si’Ana A. Coggins, Magdielis Gregory Rivera, Kate Kruczynski, Adam K. Saperstein, Jitendrakumar Modi, Jamie A. Fraser, Saira Shaikh, Christopher C. Broder, Timothy H. Burgess, Christopher D. Heaney, Simon D. Pollett, Eugene Millar, Christian L. Coles, and Mark P. SimonsComments to Author 
Author affiliations: Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland, USA (L.R. Andronescu, S.A. Richard, E.D. Laing, S.A. Coggins, A.K. Saperstein, J.A. Fraser, S. Shaikh, C.C. Broder, T.H. Burgess, S.D. Pollett, E. Millar, C.L. Coles, M.P. Simons); The Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Inc., Bethesda (L.R. Andronescu, S.A. Richard, S.A. Coggins, J.A. Fraser, S. Shaikh, S.D. Pollett, E. Millar, C.L. Coles); Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA (N. Pisanic, M. Gregory Rivera, K. Kruczynski, C.D. Heaney); Naval Health Clinic, Annapolis, Maryland, USA (A.K. Saperstein, J. Modi)

Main Article

Table 2

Saliva and DBS serologic test concordance for detection of SARS-CoV-2 infection among study participants, by specimen collection timepoint, US Naval Academy, Annapolis, Maryland, USA, August 2020–May 2021*

Serologic test Aug 2020, n = 41
Dec 2020, n = 47
May 2021, n = 55
DBS-negative DBS-positive DBS-negative DBS-positive DBS-negative DBS-positive
Spike IgG†
Saliva-negative 31 (75.6) 5 (12.2) 37 (78.7) 5 (10.6) 0 2 (3.6)
Saliva-positive 1 (2.4) 4 (9.8) 0 5 (10.6) 0 53 (96.4)
Kappa coefficient (95% CI) 0.49 (0.15–0.83) 0.61 (0.32–0.91) N/A
Observed agreement 0.85 0.89 0.96
Nucleocapsid IgG‡
Saliva-negative 37 (90.24) 1 (2.4) 40 (85.1) 2 (4.3) 23 (41.8) 5 (9.1)
Saliva-positive 1 (2.4) 2 (4.9) 1 (2.1) 4 (8.5) 5 (9.1) 22 (40.0)
Kappa coefficient (95% CI) 0.64 (0.18–1.00) 0.69 (0.36–1.00) 0.64 (0.43–0.84)
Observed agreement 0.95
0.94
0.82

*Sample restricted to participants with both DBS and saliva specimens available. Values are no. (%) except as indicated. DBS, dried blood spot. †Receptor-binding domain target for salivary assay. ‡Salivary nucleocapsid IgG positivity defined as receptor-binding domain IgG and nucleocapsid IgG positivity.

Main Article

Page created: July 31, 2023
Page updated: August 20, 2023
Page reviewed: August 20, 2023
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