{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,11]],"date-time":"2025-10-11T01:14:23Z","timestamp":1760145263148,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":30,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"7","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,6,27]],"date-time":"2024-06-27T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1719446400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Italian Ministry of Health"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Viruses"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Despite emerging evidence indicating that molecular SARS-CoV-2 tests performed on saliva have diagnostic sensitivity and specificity comparable to those observed with nasopharyngeal swabs (NPSs), most in vivo follow-up studies on the efficacy of drugs against SARS-CoV-2 have been performed on NPSs, not considering saliva as a possible alternative matrix. For this reason, in this study, we used, in parallel, saliva and NPS samples for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 by real-time RT-PCR in patients receiving Tixagevimab\/Cilgavimab, Nirmatrelvir\/Ritonavir, or Sotrovimab as a treatment against SARS-CoV-2. Our results showed a good correlation between the NPS and saliva samples for each drug; moreover, comparable changes in the cycle threshold (Ct) levels in saliva and NPSs were observed both 7 days and 30 days after treatment, thus confirming that the saliva represents a good matrix for in vivo follow-up studies verifying the effectiveness of treatments against SARS-CoV-2.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/v16071040","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,6,27]],"date-time":"2024-06-27T11:19:02Z","timestamp":1719487142000},"page":"1040","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Saliva Is a Sensitive and Accessible Sample Both for SARS-CoV-2 Detection and for the Evaluation of Treatment Effectiveness in Follow-Up Studies"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"16","author":[{"given":"Eleonora","family":"Lalle","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory of Virology and Biosafety Laboratories, National Institute for Infectious Diseases Lazzaro Spallanzani\u2014IRCCS, 00149 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0240-7504","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Valentina","family":"Mazzotta","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Clinical and Research Department, National Institute for Infectious Diseases Lazzaro Spallanzani\u2014IRCCS, 00149 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0955-2074","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Giuseppe","family":"Sberna","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory of Virology and Biosafety Laboratories, National Institute for Infectious Diseases Lazzaro Spallanzani\u2014IRCCS, 00149 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Lavinia","family":"Fabeni","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory of Virology and Biosafety Laboratories, National Institute for Infectious Diseases Lazzaro Spallanzani\u2014IRCCS, 00149 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2687-8642","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Anna Rosa","family":"Garbuglia","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory of Virology and Biosafety Laboratories, National Institute for Infectious Diseases Lazzaro Spallanzani\u2014IRCCS, 00149 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1944-662X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ilaria","family":"Mastrorosa","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Clinical and Research Department, National Institute for Infectious Diseases Lazzaro Spallanzani\u2014IRCCS, 00149 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5160-9743","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Alessandra","family":"D\u2019Abramo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Clinical and Research Department, National Institute for Infectious Diseases Lazzaro Spallanzani\u2014IRCCS, 00149 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5606-8712","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Emanuele","family":"Nicastri","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Clinical and Research Department, National Institute for Infectious Diseases Lazzaro Spallanzani\u2014IRCCS, 00149 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8182-5896","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Enrico","family":"Girardi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Scientific Direction, National Institute for Infectious Diseases Lazzaro Spallanzani\u2014IRCCS, 00149 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2121-4684","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Andrea","family":"Antinori","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Clinical and Research Department, National Institute for Infectious Diseases Lazzaro Spallanzani\u2014IRCCS, 00149 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7489-5271","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Fabrizio","family":"Maggi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory of Virology and Biosafety Laboratories, National Institute for Infectious Diseases Lazzaro Spallanzani\u2014IRCCS, 00149 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Licia","family":"Bordi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory of Virology and Biosafety Laboratories, National Institute for Infectious Diseases Lazzaro Spallanzani\u2014IRCCS, 00149 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,6,27]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"372","DOI":"10.1016\/j.cmi.2018.06.009","article-title":"Saliva as a diagnostic specimen for testing respiratory virus by a point-of-care molecular assay: A diagnostic validity study","volume":"25","author":"To","year":"2019","journal-title":"Clin. 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