A short perspective on a COVID-19 clinical study: 'diagnosis of COVID-19 by RT-PCR using exhale breath condensate samples'
Diagnosis of SARS-COV-2 infection (COVID-19) is currently based on detection of the viral RNA in
nasopharyngeal swab samples by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). However,
sampling via nasopharyngeal swabs frequently provokes sneezing or coughing, which results in
increased risk of the viral dissemination and environmental contamination. Furthermore, the
sensitivity associated with the PCR tests s limited to 60% –70%, which is mainly attributable to
technical deficiency in sampling. Given that the disease is transmitted via exhaled aerosol and
droplets, and that the exhaled breath condensate (EBC) is the established modality for sampling
exhaled aerosol, detection of the viral RNA in EBC is a promising approach for safe and efficient
diagnosis of the disease. Subjects are those patients who are diagnosed with COVID-19 by positive
nasopharyngeal swab PCR test and admitted to Saitama Medical Center, Japan. EBC samples will be
collected using an R-tube ®
Source: Journal of Breath Research - Category: Respiratory Medicine Authors: Makoto Sawano, Kyousuke Takeshita, Hideaki Ohno and Hideaki Oka Source Type: research