scholarly journals Anosmia as a Screening Tool for COVID-19 Infection: A Prospective Cohort Study

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
Esra AlHamadani ◽  
Sania Zia ◽  
Ali AlRahma ◽  
Firas AlNajjar
Keyword(s):  
Odds Ratio ◽  
Screening Tool ◽  
Index Finger ◽  
Upper Respiratory Tract ◽  
Chain Reaction ◽  
The Public ◽  
Single Center Study ◽  
Upper Respiratory ◽  
Polymerase Chain ◽  
Low Sensitivity

<b><i>Objectives:</i></b> Several studies promoted anosmia as a possible isolated symptom for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). No studies used feasible methods of smell testing that the public would use to address the accuracy of these claims. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> This is a single-center study conducted between April 2020 and June 2020. The sense of smell was tested in vitally stable suspected COVID-19 patients with no/mild upper respiratory tract infection symptoms prior to nasopharyngeal swabbing for reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. Patients were instructed to close their eyes. Each nostril was tested separately while the other was blocked with the patient’s index finger. Patients inhaled from 2 concealed vials (coffee and strawberry essence) consecutively, kept within 30 cm of the nostril for 60 s. Patients who could not identify both odors with both nostrils were recorded as “anosmia.” <b><i>Results:</i></b> Out of 346 eligible subjects, 43 had anosmia of which 26 (60%) tested COVID-19 positive. χ<sup>2</sup> test showed a <i>p</i> value &#x3c;0.001. The test showed a sensitivity of 30% (95% confidence interval [CI] 21%, 41%) and specificity 94% (95% CI 90%, 96%). Logistic regression revealed an odds ratio of 5.9 (95% CI 3.0, 12) <i>p</i> value &#x3c;0.001. <b><i>Conclusion:</i></b> Given the low sensitivity (30%) of this method in detecting COVID-19 infection, we conclude that this method is not a useful screening tool for COVID-19 infection. The moderate negative predictive value (80%) is nongeneralizable.

scholarly journals Differentiation by random amplified polymorphic DNA-polymerase chain reaction (RAPD-PCR) of Candida albicans isolated from upper respiratory tract in patients with non-small cell lung cancer.

2014 ◽  
Vol 61 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Biernasiuk ◽  
Izabela Korona-Głowniak ◽  
Agnieszka Grzegorczyk ◽  
Anna Malm
Keyword(s):  
Respiratory Tract ◽  
Dna Polymerase ◽  
Random Amplified Polymorphic Dna ◽  
Small Cell ◽  
Upper Respiratory Tract ◽  
Small Cell Lung ◽  
Chain Reaction ◽  
Rapd Pcr ◽  
Upper Respiratory ◽  
Polymerase Chain

Cancer patients are predisposed to fungal infections caused by Candida albicans, especially to oral or respiratory tract candidiasis. The aim of this study was to estimate genetic diversity by RAPD-PCR (random amplified polymorphic DNA-polymerase chain reaction) of C. albicans isolated from upper respiratory tract of 100 patients with non-small cell lung cancer. Among 52 strains, 34 genotypes were defined. 10 clusters comprising 28 (53.85%) isolates with similarity coefficient ≥ 80% were formed. The remaining 24 (46.15%) isolates represented individual genotypes. The RAPD-PCR technique revealed genomic variability within C. albicans isolated from upper respiratory tract of the cancer patients.

scholarly journals SARS-CoV-2 Detection in Fecal Sample from a Patient with Typical Findings of COVID-19 Pneumonia on CT but Negative to Multiple SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR Tests on Oropharyngeal and Nasopharyngeal Swab Samples

Medicina ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 57 (3) ◽  
pp. 290
Author(s):  
Barbara Brogna ◽  
Carlo Brogna ◽  
Mauro Petrillo ◽  
Adriana Modestina Conte ◽  
Giulio Benincasa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Respiratory Tract ◽  
Clinical Symptoms ◽  
Nasopharyngeal Swab ◽  
Upper Respiratory Tract ◽  
Rt Pcr ◽  
Chain Reaction ◽  
Negative Results ◽  
Upper Respiratory ◽  
Polymerase Chain ◽  
Pcr Test

Reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) negative results in the upper respiratory tract represent a major concern for the clinical management of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients. Herein, we report the case of a 43-years-old man with a strong clinical suspicion of COVID-19, who resulted in being negative to multiple severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) RT-PCR tests performed on different oropharyngeal and nasopharyngeal swabs, despite serology having confirmed the presence of SARS-CoV-2 IgM. The patient underwent a chest computed tomography (CT) that showed typical imaging findings of COVID-19 pneumonia. The presence of viral SARS-CoV-2 was confirmed only by performing a SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR test on stool. Performing of SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR test on fecal samples can be a rapid and useful approach to confirm COVID-19 diagnosis in cases where there is an apparent discrepancy between COVID-19 clinical symptoms coupled with chest CT and SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR tests’ results on samples from the upper respiratory tract.

scholarly journals Declining SARS-CoV-2 PCR sensitivity with time and dependence on clinical features: consequences for control

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbara J.M. Bergmans ◽  
Chantal B.E.M. Reusken ◽  
Anne J.G. Van Oudheusden ◽  
Gert-Jan Godeke ◽  
Axel A. Bonacic Marinovic ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Disease Severity ◽  
Upper Respiratory Tract ◽  
Rt Pcr ◽  
Chain Reaction ◽  
Clinical Sensitivity ◽  
Health Measures ◽  
Supportive Role ◽  
Upper Respiratory ◽  
Polymerase Chain ◽  
Bayesian Statistical Modeling

Real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) on upper respiratory tract (URT) samples is the primary method to diagnose SARS-CoV-2 infections and guide public health measures, with a supportive role for serology. However, the clinical sensitivity of RT-PCR remains uncertain. In the present study, Bayesian statistical modeling was used to retrospectively determine the sensitivity of RT-PCR using SARS-CoV-2 serology in 644 COVID-19-suspected patients with varying degrees of disease severity and duration. The sensitivity of RT-PCR ranged between 79-95%; while increasing with disease severity, it decreased rapidly over time in mild COVID-19 cases. Negative URT RT-PCR results should therefore be interpreted in the context of clinical characteristics, especially with regard to containment of viral transmission based on the 'test, trace and isolate' principle.

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