Publications by authors named "Hayat Benamar"
Article Synopsis
- The study investigated how the viral load of patients infected with the Alpha variant of SARS-CoV-2 compared to those infected with earlier strains during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Data was collected from 118 patients (89 with historical strains, 29 with the Alpha variant) who provided saliva samples at various points during their illness.
- Although there seemed to be higher viral loads in the Alpha variant group, the analysis showed no significant differences in viral load evolution between the two groups when adjusting for the timing of symptom onset and sampling.
Background: The present study was set up to evaluate the efficacy of virological surveillance using posterior oropharyngeal saliva samples to monitor the COVID-19 pandemic in general practice.
Methods: Posterior oropharyngeal saliva samples were collected without restriction on timing or alimentation by general practitioners from patients with acute respiratory infection (ARI) seen in consultation. Saliva samples were tested by real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction for SARS-CoV-2 and 21 other respiratory pathogens.