Use of Saliva Swab for Detection of Influenza Virus in Patients Admitted to an Emergency Department

Abstract

Early detection of influenza virus is important for guiding antiviral and antibacterial treatment for infection control and public health measures. We have observed that saliva swab specimens have high sensitivity and specificity for the detection of influenza by the Xpert Xpress flu/respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) test and high overall agreement and C T correlation with nasopharyngeal specimens.