Dados do Trabalho

Título

Investigation of infectious agents in saliva collected on dry cotton allows large-scale epidemiological surveillance

Introdução

Saliva is a biological fluid made up of water, products from the salivary glands, and cells of the oral mucosa (minerals, enzymes, enzyme inhibitors, growth factors, cytokines, immunoglobulins, mucins, etc.), in addition to cells originating from the oral cavity and the blood (leukocytes and lymphocytes). In addition to the natural products in saliva resulting from local and systemic metabolism, and natural immunity cells containing fragments of various infectious agents, there are pathogens transmissible through saliva such as the SARS-CoV-2 and Influenza viruses. During the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, our research group developed the dry cotton saliva self-collection kit that was used to monitor the virus for 20 months in the Federal University of ABC community. The method used contributed to the surveillance of COVID19, with isolation of cases and guidance to the community on the use of masks, and the need for vaccination, in addition to testing contacts.

Objetivo (s)

Use saliva collected on dry cotton to detect different pathogens using molecular and serological tests.

Material e Métodos

Saliva was collected on dry cotton from individuals in the Amazon region endemic for SARS-CoV-2, leishmaniasis, Chagas disease, malaria and arboviruses. The nucleic acids present in saliva were extracted with a Trizol reagent. For serology, saliva antibodies present in cotton were diluted in calcium carbonate buffer pH 9.0. Molecular tests were carried out using the nucleic acid samples to detect species of the genus Leishmania, Trypanosoma cruzi, Plasmodium vivax and P. falciparum, SARS-CoV-2, and the Dengue, Chikungunya and Zika viruses. Serological tests are being standardized.

Resultados e Conclusão

Parasites of the genus Leishmania, T. cruzi, P. vivax, P. falciparum, SARS-CoV-2 and the arboviruses Dengue, Chikungunya, and Zika were detected in saliva using molecular tests. Initial serological tests demonstrated the presence of antibodies against Zika virus in saliva samples. The results obtained indicate that it is possible to detect nucleic acids and antibodies against various pathogens in saliva collected on dry cotton, which can assist in epidemiological surveillance, especially in areas with little infrastructure and vulnerable populations with socioeconomic difficulties.

Palavras Chave

Epidemiology; saliva; infectious agents; PCR; RTqPCR; Serology