COVID-19 test kit can also detect oral microbiota in saliva

This research, published in the journal NPJ Biofilms and Microbiomes , is the first to test the accuracy of these saliva-based home COVID detection kits in measuring the oral microbiome (bacteria) of animals and humans

Abigail Armstrong, a postdoctoral fellow at the Center for Advanced Biotechnology and Medicine (CABM) at Rutgers University and lead author of the study, said: "We inhale a small amount of saliva every day, so it makes sense that some of the microorganisms in our mouths end up in our lungs

The Salvia test uses preservatives to maintain the genetic material (RNA) in the SARS-CoV-2 virus to achieve rapid results

In order to test the detection ability of the microbiota in the saliva COVID detection kit, the researchers collected saliva samples from 22 participants carrying the kit and empty test tubes

They found that compared with the samples collected in the preservative-free kit, the samples collected in the COVID test kit can still accurately measure bacteria and provide a more stable microbiome image over time

Martin Blaser, CABM director and senior author, said: "This work allowed us to examine many saliva samples from research subjects who volunteered to participate in the COVID-19 survey at Rutgers University

Veenat Parmar of the Center for Advanced Biotechnology and Medicine is a co-author of the study, which was supported by Danone and the National Institutes of Health