{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,10]],"date-time":"2026-07-10T00:36:50Z","timestamp":1783643810715,"version":"3.55.0"},"reference-count":19,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2023,1,27]],"date-time":"2023-01-27T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1674777600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100009187","name":"Medical Research Foundation","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["MC_PC_19082"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["MC_PC_19082"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100009187","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100009187","name":"Medical Research Foundation","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["Doctoral Training Partnership Fund"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["Doctoral Training Partnership Fund"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100009187","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/100018336","name":"National Institute for Health Research Health Protection Research Unit","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["Liverpool COVID-19 Partnership Strategic Research Fund"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["Liverpool COVID-19 Partnership Strategic Research Fund"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100018336","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/100004319","name":"Pfizer","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["WI255862"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["WI255862"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100004319","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosone.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLoS ONE"],"abstract":"<jats:sec id=\"sec001\">\n                    <jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has caused an unprecedented strain on healthcare systems worldwide, including the United Kingdom National Health Service (NHS). We conducted an observational cohort study of SARS-CoV-2 infection in frontline healthcare workers (HCW) working in an acute NHS Trust during the first wave of the pandemic, to answer emerging questions surrounding SARS-CoV-2 infection, diagnosis, transmission and control.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec id=\"sec002\">\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Using self-collected weekly saliva and twice weekly combined oropharyngeal\/nasopharyngeal (OP\/NP) samples, in addition to self-assessed symptom profiles and isolation behaviours, we retrospectively compared SARS-CoV-2 detection by RT-qPCR of saliva and OP\/NP samples. We report the association with contemporaneous symptoms and isolation behaviour.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec id=\"sec003\">\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      Over a 12-week period from 30\n                      <jats:sup>th<\/jats:sup>\n                      March 2020, 40\u00b70% (n = 34\/85, 95% confidence interval 31\u00b73\u201351\u00b78%) HCW had evidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection by surveillance OP\/NP swab and\/or saliva sample. Symptoms were reported by 47\u00b71% (n = 40) and self-isolation by 25\u00b79% (n = 22) participants. Only 44.1% (n = 15\/34) participants with SARS-CoV-2 infection reported any symptoms within 14 days of a positive result and only 29\u00b74% (n = 10\/34) reported self-isolation periods. Overall agreement between paired saliva and OP\/NP swabs was 93\u00b74% (n = 211\/226 pairs) but rates of positive concordance were low. In paired samples with at least one positive result, 35\u00b70% (n = 7\/20) were positive exclusively by OP\/NP swab, 40\u00b70% (n = 8\/20) exclusively by saliva and in only 25\u00b70% (n = 5\/20) were the OP\/NP and saliva result both positive.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec id=\"sec004\">\n                    <jats:title>Conclusions<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>HCW are a potential source of SARS-CoV-2 transmission in hospitals and symptom screening will identify the minority of infections. Without routine asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 screening, it is likely that HCW with SARS-CoV-2 infection would continue to attend work. Saliva, in addition to OP\/NP swab testing, facilitated ascertainment of symptomatic and asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infections. Combined saliva and OP\/NP swab sampling would improve detection of SARS-CoV-2 for surveillance and is recommended for a high sensitivity strategy.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0280908","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2023,1,27]],"date-time":"2023-01-27T13:50:10Z","timestamp":1674827410000},"page":"e0280908","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":7,"title":["Detection of SARS-CoV-2 infection by saliva and nasopharyngeal sampling in frontline healthcare workers: An observational cohort study"],"prefix":"10.1371","volume":"18","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3345-7694","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Naomi F.","family":"Walker","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Rachel L.","family":"Byrne","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ashleigh","family":"Howard","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Elissavet","family":"Nikolaou","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Madlen","family":"Farrar","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Sharon","family":"Glynn","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5992-4596","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Katerina S.","family":"Cheliotis","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9604-124X","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Ana I.","family":"Cubas Atienzar","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Kelly","family":"Davies","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jes\u00fas","family":"Rein\u00e9","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Zalina","family":"Rashid-Gardner","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Esther L.","family":"German","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Carla","family":"Sol\u00f3rzano","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4899-015X","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Tess","family":"Blandamer","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Lisa","family":"Hitchins","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Christopher","family":"Myerscough","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Bradford 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