A US researcher discovered that COVID-19 saliva testing kits using a new preservative may also be used to monitor tiny organisms in the mouth. This allows for the investigation of the link between mouth and lung bacteria and the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which may lead to the development of novel therapies.
The Rutgers University research, published in the journal NPJ Biofilms and Microbiomes, is the first to examine the accuracy of these saliva-based, at-home COVID test kits in quantifying the oral microbiome.
Lead author Dr. Abigail Armstrong said that because we inhale a tiny quantity of our saliva every day, it seems to be the reason that some of the microorganisms that dwell in our lips would wind up in our lungs.
By analysing the mouth microbiome in these banked samples of persons with or without COVID-19, we may get an understanding of how the microbial community in the mouth and lung may affect the illness.
To get rapid findings, salvia tests utilise preservatives to preserve genetic material (RNA) in the SARS-CoV-2 virus. However, it was unclear until today if it would also retain the bacterial genetic material.
To assess the effectiveness of the saliva COVID test kits to quantify the microbiome, the researchers collected saliva samples from 22 people using the kits and empty tubes. Six of the volunteers also returned the following day to provide more samples so that the researchers could analyse their microbiota over time. They next evaluated how well they could quantify the microbiota in both forms of saliva collection.
They discovered that samples taken in COVID testing kits still allowed for accurate measurement of bacteria and provided a more stable image of the microbiome over time when compared to those collected in non-preservative-free kits.
These results imply that saliva obtained for COVID testing may also be used to assess bacteria in the mouth, which will aid researchers in developing probiotic- or microbiome-centered therapeutics to treat COVID-19.
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