Saliva Pooling Strategy for the Large-Scale Detection of SARS-CoV-2, Through Working-Groups Testing of Asymptomatic Subjects for Potential Applications in Different Workplaces.

Objective: To perform an improved large-scale SARS-CoV-2 detection on pooled tests of asymptomatic workers.
Methods: qRT-PCR validation of the SARS-CoV-2 detection in salivae samples and saliva pools and working-group saliva pooling and testing for SARS-CoV-2.
Results: We found a high Cycle threshold correlation (r = 0.9099) between swabs and saliva samples. Then, through the pooling strategy, we detected that 18/360 (5%) of individual saliva samples were SARS-CoV-2 positive. Saliva-pooling efficiency (360 of test sample/30 individual PCR) was higher (5.45) than the reported for swabbing group-testing and we spared 82% of the PCR reagents as well as sampling and personal protection equipment.
Conclusion: Through this simplified and less expensive procedure, we detected in a short time asymptomatic-infected SARS-CoV-2-carriers that were isolated from their co-workers, thus, this methodology can be implemented in different workplaces to ensure consumers that employees are not infectious.
Competing Interests: MI Giroń-Pérez, DA Giroń-Pérez, Ruiz-Manzano, Benitez-Trinidad, Ventura-Ramoń, Covantes-Rosales, Ojeda-Durań, Mercado-Salgado, Toledo-Ibarra, and Díaz-Reséndiz have no relationships/conditions/circumstances that present potential conflict of interest.
(Copyright © 2021 American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.)