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A Rutgers University study found that a COVID-19 saliva test kit containing a new preservative can also be used to measure microorganisms in the oral cavity. This makes it possible to study the relationship between oral and lung microbes and the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which may help develop new treatments.
The research, published in the journal NPJ Biofilm and Microbiome, is the first to test the accuracy of these saliva-based home COVID test kits in measuring the oral microbiome (bacteria found in animals and humans).
We inhale a small amount of saliva every day, so it makes sense that some of the microorganisms living in our mouth will eventually enter our lungs. By studying the oral microbiome in stored samples of people with or without COVID-19, we can understand how the microbial environment of the mouth and lungs affects disease. "
Abigail Armstrong, lead author and postdoctoral researcher at the Center for Advanced Biotechnology and Medicine (CABM) at Rutgers University
The sage test uses preservatives to maintain the genetic material (RNA) in the SARS-CoV-2 virus for quick results. However, until now, whether it can also preserve bacterial genetic material is still unknown.
To test the ability to measure the microbiome in the saliva COVID detection kit, the researchers collected saliva samples from 22 participants using the kit and empty tubes. The next day, six of the participants also returned to provide another set of samples so that the researchers could study their microbiome over time. They then compared the ability to measure the microbiome in the two saliva collections.
They found that compared to samples collected in preservative-free kits, samples collected in COVID test kits can still accurately measure bacteria and provide a more stable picture of the microbiome over time. These findings mean that saliva collected for COVID-19 testing can also be used to measure microorganisms in the oral cavity, help us further understand the systemic effects of COVID infection, and help researchers develop probiotic or microbiome-centric therapies to help Treat COVID-19.
"This work allowed us to examine many of the saliva specimens we obtained from Rutgers subjects who volunteered to participate in the COVID investigation," said CABM director and senior author Martin Blaser.
Veenat Parmar, 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.
Armstrong, AJS, etc. (2021) Evaluate the collection and processing methods of the saliva microbiome. npj biofilm and microbiome. doi.org/10.1038/s41522-021-00254-z.
Tags: bacteria, biofilm, biotechnology, genetics, lung, medicine, microbiome, probiotics, research, RNA, SARS, SARS-CoV-2, virus
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