Nucleic acid testing is a popular method of virus detection, it can play a very good role in the detection, can determine in a short period of time whether the virus infection, many people will do nucleic acid testing. Nucleic acid testing generally uses a cotton swab sampling, the swab should be deep into the back of the tongue, and then dipped into the sample. Here, just quickly with the editor to understand the knowledge!
Is the deeper the swab, the more accurate the nucleic acid test?
Generally speaking, the deeper the insertion, the higher the concentration of the sample obtained, the more accurate the test results may be. But not the deeper the better, if inserted too deep, may cause discomfort, can lead to coughing, vomiting, etc., which will affect the sample taken. So there is no need to insert it very deep, just insert it behind the root of the tongue and dip the sample near the posterior pharyngeal wall as well as the tonsils.
The nucleic acid test is divided into three steps, which should also be divided into three "boxes".
The first step is the collection, which we call the "collector".
This step can be done at home by the average patient, and throat secretions can be swabbed away;
The second step is the extraction of nucleic acids;
The third step is the detection of the nucleic acid using a qPCR kit.
The last two steps can only be done by testers or medical personnel.
Whether the nucleic acid test swab is placed in the mouth or in the nose can be placed in the mouth, or in the nose, depending on the sampling method.
Nucleic acid testing, including nasopharyngeal swab sampling and oropharyngeal swab sampling, can be used to make a quick and effective diagnosis by both methods. The accuracy of the sampling test can reach more than 85% to 90%, regardless of whether the patient is infected with the new coronavirus.
Nasopharyngeal swab sampling is performed by collecting mucosal secretion samples from the patient's nasopharynx, nasal septum, and inferior turbinate through pharyngeal swabs, and oropharyngeal swab sampling is performed by collecting secretions from the tonsils, soft palate, and laryngeal wall bilaterally.
If the patient is considered positive, he or she should be promptly retested and isolated to avoid causing new coronavirus infection.
Nucleic acid testing swabs go deeper where
1. Pharyngeal swab: the swab will penetrate deep into the posterior pharyngeal wall and tonsillar crypt and lateral wall
Nucleic acid testing collects respiratory samples, mainly pharyngeal swab samples (1 minute rapid sampling of pharyngeal swabs).
The subject sits down, tilts the head back and opens the mouth. The examiner fixes the tongue with a tongue depressor; the swab is repeatedly rubbed or rotated 3 to 5 times through the tongue root to the posterior pharyngeal wall, tonsillar crypt, and lateral wall; mucosal cells are collected, avoiding contact with the tongue, oral mucosa, and saliva, and finally the swab head is inserted into the virus sampling tube.
The pharyngeal swab collection process is faster (only a few seconds) and less painful, but nausea and vomiting may be felt, and some people have no significant reaction.
2. Nasal swab: A long cotton swab is inserted into both nostrils for sampling
This collection method may be uncomfortable. Primarily, the swab is gently inserted into the nose and palate in the nasal tract, left for 15-30 seconds, and slowly rotated to the exit. The discomfort caused by nasal swab sampling is variable. In general, there is only a little discomfort.
