2015 · Diagnostic microbiology and infectious disease · paywalled
Detecting DNA viruses in oral fluids: evaluation of collection and storage methods
Speicher et al.
The finding, in our words
The OMNIgene™·DISCOVER kit preserved viral DNA integrity in saliva for up to 14 months at room temperature, outperforming frozen storage which caused significant degradation. Viral loads remained stable for 6-9 months with the kit, supporting its use for decentralised diagnostic testing in resource-constrained settings.
A paraphrase to the Library’s standard, never the abstract. The source is one link away and is always the authority.
This study found that saliva collected with the OMNIgene ORAL kit and stored at room temperature for up to 13 months allowed for the detection of Plasmodium falciparum DNA with high sensitivity and specificity compared to blood tests, suggesting it is a viable non-invasive alternative for malaria diagnosis.
Saliva samples collected using the OMNIgene ORAL device and oral wash samples remain stable for microbiome diversity and relative abundance analyses for up to five years when stored at -80°C. This supports the use of these self-collection methods for long-term prospective biobanking and decentralised clinical studies.
Across 18 saliva samples, mouthwash collection gave higher alpha diversity than passive drooling on both Illumina and Nanopore platforms, and three preservation methods performed alike; mouthwash and simple collection are convenient decentralised options, provided a study keeps one collection method for all participants to avoid confounding.
Processing stool samples with OMNIgene SPUTUM significantly improved the diagnostic yield of Mycobacterium tuberculosis using the Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra assay compared to standard methods, offering a viable alternative for patients who cannot produce sputum.
TB-MBLA testing of OMNIgene-stabilised stool detected Mycobacterium tuberculosis with 80% sensitivity and 79% specificity against sputum culture in 100 adults, offering a viable alternative for patients unable to produce sputum. The RNA-based assay quantified bacterial load, showing higher burdens in HIV-co-infected individuals, while stool cultures suffered 21-26% contamination rates.