Sept. 16, 2020—ARUP Laboratories announced it now offers COVID-19 testing using saliva specimens. The laboratory will perform the test only on saliva specimens collected using an ARUP collection kit with a health care provider present.
Researchers at ARUP and University of Utah Health found self-collected saliva and nasopharyngeal swabs collected by health care providers are equally effective for detecting SARS-CoV-2. Their study, published in the Journal of Clinical Microbiology (Hanson KE, et al. Accepted manuscript. Published online Aug. 12, 2020. doi:10.1128/JCM.01824-20), is one of the largest specimen-type comparisons to date, the lab said in a press release.
“We’re pleased to be one of the first labs to offer a COVID-19 saliva test that makes high-quality testing easier for patients and for providers,” ARUP CEO Sherrie L. Perkins, MD, PhD, said in the release.
The molecular diagnostic test is available with preapproval to ARUP clients nationwide.