New coronaviruses tend to "reside" in the respiratory tract of infected individuals. Sampling therefore requires deep penetration of the pharynx (rubbing a sampling swab against the posterior pharynx) to obtain a sample of the pathogen. Sampling can be divided into nasopharyngeal swabs and oropharyngeal swabs, depending on the mode of entry. Currently, oropharyngeal swabs are more widely used due to their greater convenience and speed.
Swabbing in the right place is the key to sampling. The health care professionals responsible for sampling for nucleic acid testing have received rigorous professional training and are masters of sampling.
Is it okay to eat before a nucleic acid test?
Relax, for nucleic acid testing: avoiding food? Not important! Feel free to eat snail noodles and garlic, and just don't touch cigarettes, alcohol or chewing gum 30 minutes before sampling. No need! This does not affect the test results, but if you are afraid of vomiting embarrassment, try not to eat 2 hours before sampling; cold? It doesn't matter! One size does not fit all, the new coronavirus and the flu virus and so on well; pain? It doesn't exist! Most people "do not feel anything" about it, sensitive body will only "slightly discomfort".
Some partners say that when testing, the pharyngeal swab keeps going inside, feeling almost vomiting. In fact, the pharyngeal swab has been into the inside just to ensure the accuracy of the test, generally speaking, this causes at most a slight foreign body feeling, but due to individual differences, sensitive partners of the vomiting feeling will also have. But believe me, it will not take more than half a minute. Next, don't worry too much, just let the reagent tube of the test specimen go to the next step of the test. Relax and take it easy.
Let's look at how the specimens are transported and tested after sampling
Generally transported to the nucleic acid testing center, the outer layer of the reagent tube will be covered with a layer of sealing material, a layer of foam, and then sealed with a special transfer box, and finally add a lock to prevent the virus from leaking.
Not only to let the virus "can not run", but also to let it "can not die"; new coronavirus is a single-stranded RNA virus, if not cryopreserved for a long time, prone to nucleic acid degradation, affecting the nucleic acid test results. In short, the "escort" virus has two points: the temperature must be low! It has to be fast!
Once the samples are sent to a specialized nucleic acid testing center, they are sterilized several times, the sampling tubes are removed from the biosafety cabinet, and the information is verified. In addition, due to the high risk of highly active viruses, in order to protect their own safety, while ensuring the accuracy of test results, the testers will inactivate the virus in advance, so that the virus is no longer contagious, and no way to be arrogant, but only to be picked up.
After all the preparations, with a "keen eye" primers, will be added to the "mixed" respiratory pathogen samples to find the new coronavirus.
(1) Inactivate the samples at 56°C;
(2) Register the sample information;
(3) Place the inactivated samples neatly by number, shake and mix, and prepare for nucleic acid extraction;
(4) Add the sample nucleic acid template.
