Non-invasive skin swab samples enough to detect Covid infection: Study

Researchers at the University of Surrey found after carrying out a study that non-invasive skin swab samples are enough to detect Covid-19 infection.

Currently, the most popular approach to detect Covid-19 is through the RT-PCR test, which involves taking a swab of the back of the throat and far inside the nose.

The study, published in the

Lancet E Clinical Medicine , was carried out by chemists from Surrey who collaborated with Frimley NHS Trust and the Universities of Manchester and Leicester.

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The team then gathered sebum samples from 67 hospitalised patients — 30 who had tested positive for Covid-19 and 37 who had tested negative.

The samples were collected by gently swabbing a skin area rich in sebum — an oily, waxy substance produced by the body’s sebaceous glands — such as the face, neck, or back.

Accuracy levels

The researchers then examined the collected samples by using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry and a statistical modelling technique called Partial Least Squares. This is Discriminant Analysis to differentiate between the Covid-19 positive and negative samples.

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The team found that patients with a positive Covid-19 test had lower lipid levels — or dyslipidemia —— than their counterparts with a negative test.

The accuracy of the study’s results increased further when medication and additional health conditions were controlled.

Matt Spick, a co-author of the study from the University of Surrey, said: “Covid-19 damages many areas of metabolism. In this work, we show that the skin lipidome can be added to the list, which could have implications for the skin’s barrier function, as well as being a detectable symptom of the disease itself.”

Dr George Evetts, Consultant in Anaesthesia & Intensive Care Medicine at Frimley Park Hospital, said: “Investigating new methods of diagnosis and surveillance in a new disease such as Covid-19 that has had such a devastating effect on the world is vital. Sebum sampling is a simple, non-invasive method that shows promise for both diagnostics and monitoring of the disease in both a healthcare and a non-healthcare setting.”