Child Nasal Swab Tests Conducted by Parent Yield Accurate Results: Study
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FRIDAY, Nov. 12, 2021 (HealthDay Information)
Parent-gathered nasal swab samples from children could be as great at detecting respiratory infections these kinds of as COVID-19 as individuals taken by nurses, but which is not the situation with saliva samples, British researchers say.
Respiratory infections these as colds and flu are among the the most frequent illnesses in youngsters dealt with by main treatment physicians. COVID-19 is also a respiratory infection.
“Our analyze exhibits that it is possible for moms and dads to obtain excellent top quality nose swab samples from young children,” mentioned examine supervisor Alastair Hay, of the Middle for Academic Principal Treatment at the University of Bristol.
This analyze — executed ahead of the COVID pandemic — incorporated far more than 300 mother and father and 485 kids all around 5 yrs of age, in the United Kingdom.
Nasal and saliva swab samples were being gathered by both of those parents and nurses and despatched to a laboratory for detection of 40 popular respiratory bugs.
Whilst nasal swab samples gathered by moms and dads in contrast properly with individuals collected by nurses at detecting viral (91.6%) and bacterial respiratory infections (91.4%), the same was not genuine of saliva swab samples (69% for viral bacterial infections and 78.1% for bacterial bacterial infections).
“Offered the common use of nasal swabbing during the COVID-19 pandemic, this study has highlighted the suitability, positive aspects and advantage of mother or father-gathered swabs for subsequent identification of respiratory microbes,” Hay explained in a university information launch.
The conclusions were being revealed Nov. 10 in the journal Microbiology Spectrum.
Parents should really be self-assured about gathering a nose swab from their kid for laboratory analysis for any common respiratory bug, said lead creator Claire Woodall, study affiliate in main treatment infectious diseases epidemiology.
“In reality, our examine confirmed that mom and dad gathered a better quantity of human cells on the nose swabs in contrast to the nurses, which implies that little ones are more tolerant of a father or mother accomplishing the swabbing procedure,” Woodall claimed in the release.
A lot more information
The American Academy of Pediatrics explains when little ones need to be analyzed for COVID-19.
Supply: College of Bristol, news launch, Nov. 10, 2021
Robert Preidt

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