Saliva and Anterior Nasal Samples for Detecting Respiratory Viruses in Children

For detecting respiratory viruses, a nasopharyngeal swab sample for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays has been the benchmark. Less discomfort related to sampling is requested especially for children, and thus other sample types have been suggested. We examined anterior nasal samples and saliva samples of 59 pediatric patients with respiratory symptoms and compared the results to nasopharyngeal swab samples. The collection of saliva and anterior nasal samples was tolerated better than nasopharyngeal samples in children. Anterior nasal samples were more accurate than saliva samples in detecting respiratory viruses by a multiplex respiratory panel compared to a reference test (nasopharyngeal swab sample by fourplex PCR), and it seems to be a feasible sample type for detecting respiratory viruses with PCR tests in children with respiratory symptoms.