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Though saliva tests are yet to be approved in India for mass use, scientists such as Anand suggest the matter be explored further.
There are two types of diagnostic tests for Covid-19 testing, both using swabs from the nose and the throat.
Vineeta Bal, an immunologist from Pune's Indian Institute of Science, Education and Research, said saliva tests might become easily accessible like rapid paper strip tests available for testing blood or urine glucose.
"Hence, life can come closer to the 'normal' that we knew of before the pandemic. In India, some researchers are developing the tests for detection from saliva. But as far as I know they are far from reaching the market," Bal added.
Noting the pluses of the Yale saliva test, virologist Shahid Jameel pointed to the ease of sample collection and the reduced cost for extracting RNA, the genetic material of a virus. It would also lead to fewer false negative results.
"Most false negative results in the RT-PCR test today are due to improper sampling from the nasopharyngeal area, which is also uncomfortable for the person being tested,"Jameel, CEO of the Wellcome Trust/DBT India Alliance, a public charity that invests in building biomedical sciences, told PTI.
In addition to the Yale saliva test, Israel's Center for Geographic Medicine and Tropical Diseases has developed a test that aims to determine in less than a second whether a person is infected with the novel coronavirus.
Noting that the Israel test is yet to be approved, Jameel said it uses the scattering of light by virus particles in mouth washings to estimate both presence or absence, and quantity of virus particles in the sample.
"This is based on obtaining data from a large number of positive and negative people and training an algorithm to pick the right scattering patterns. Besides the light source, this test uses artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning, hoping to get better with time as more samples are analysed," Jameel explained.
Machine learning is an application of AI that provides systems the ability to automatically learn and improve from experience.
"Both the tests will reduce time. The Yale test will only cut RNA extraction time as the rest of the process is the same. The Israel test is very quick," Jameel added.
Virologist T Jacob John agreed that the saliva test is a low-cost alternative.
Explaining one of the ways in which saliva test can work, he said, "There is a process of viral genetic material (RNA) converted to DNA, which is then detected by a method different from PCR. It is called 'loop-mediated isothermal amplification', or LAMP, an original Japanese invention," John, former head of clinical virology at Christian Medical College, Vellore, told PTI.
LAMP is a cheaper PCR alternative previously used to detect outbreaks of zika and ebola in resource-poor countries.
"The final reading is taken by colour reaction - pink turning to yellow. The equipment is cheaper than PCR equipment. If spit is collected, it avoids the use of special swabs which are in short supply," said John.
Israel and India are conducting trials here on a large sample of patients for four different kinds of technologies, including two Covid-19 tests that could give results in minutes from a saliva sample, according to a statement by the Israeli Embassy in Delhi.
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