Do you have a lot of questions about sampling swabs?

The "disposable sampler" used to detect coronavirus nucleic acids and antigens is getting a lot of attention on the Internet. Is the swab sample a "carrier"? Is it harmful? Why is it uncomfortable after a nucleic acid amplification test? Let me answer your questions now.

Are swabs used for sampling data for the new coronavirus test?

No, it's not a swab, it's a sampling swab.

What is a swab? How is it different from a cotton swab?

A sampling swab is a tool for collecting samples of viruses, bacteria, etc. , which generally consists of a swab head and a swab stick.

The difference between the two is mainly in the composition and use of the swabs: medical absorbent cotton is used in the tip of the swab, and the swabs are usually natural birch or bamboo swabs often used for cleaning wounds and applying medications; the swabs are usually made of synthetic fibers such as polyester (also known as polyester) and polyamide (also known as nylon) through a flocking process,Rapid antigen nasal swab and the swabs are made of medical-grade ABS plastic with breakpoints and are often used for viral or bacterial Samples.

How are sampling swabs produced?

Most swabs are produced in clean environments as required by current laws and regulations, without the need for sterilization by the company, and this major part of the product is managed by filing information as a Class I medical device. A very small portion of the swabs through the specific use of the production in a clean environment as well as sterilization treatment after packaging, this type of company products according to the Class II medical device market to analyze the registered capital management. Sterilization of medical devices after the inspection of a qualified before being marketed and sold.

Is it unsafe to take "unsterilized" swab samples?

"Unsterilized" and "unsterilized" medical devices are not as stringent as "sterile" medical devices, but they are not so stringent as to be nearly "sterile". ". The sampling tip is the core component of a disposable sampling swab. Take it as an example, the sampling head of ordinary swabs can be made of medical cotton, polyester staple fiber, electrostatic flocking fabric and other materials. If the use of "non-sterile" medical skimmed cotton, must comply with national standards of the pharmaceutical industry, the manufacturer must provide microbial limits, for medical institutions and other users to refer to.

Disposable sampling swabs as a single-use hygiene products, its "bacteria" that is, the number of microorganisms according to the national mandatory standards set by the "red line" can not be crossed.

"In fact, in most cases, it is very difficult and unnecessary to use sterile products. "For example, a person with a nosebleed, temporarily rolled a piece of paper towel stuffed nostrils, at this time the paper towel is certainly not in the "sterile" state, the use of paper towels will not be because of some microorganisms and human health hazards. Similarly, qualified "unsterilized" and "unsterilized" sampling swabs are not hazardous to human health.

Does a "carrier" swab affect the results of the antigen test?

Does sampling a "carrier" swab affect the antigen test results. The display window of the antigen test strip contains a protein that recognizes antibodies and acts like a dam, blocking colloidal gold that binds to viral antibodies, making the window appear red. Therefore, even if the swab sample contains "bacteria", the kit "ignores" them and concentrates on "finding" the antibodies produced by the person infected with the coronavirus. Since the kit does not interfere with "bacteria", it does not affect the results of antigen detection.

Do the swabs contain fluorescent agents that cause cancer?

There are also comments on the Internet that "sampling swabs are professionally known as fluorescent probes" and "contain carcinogenic fluorescent substances". Some netizens have also noticed that many of the names of the new coronavirus nucleic acid test kits are labeled with the bracket "fluorescent PCR method", while the bracket after the antigen test kit is "colloidal gold method". Does this mean that the swabs used for nucleic acid testing are "fluorescent probes"?

There is indeed a "fluorescent probe" used in nucleic acid testing, but it is completely different from a sample swab. A sampling swab is a sampler used to collect a human sample from the inner surface of the nasopharynx when sampling for antigen and nucleic acid testing. A "fluorescent probe" for sample testing is a DNA probe labeled with a fluorescent molecule. This component is a PCR reaction reagent that needs to be stored at -20 degrees Celsius, protected from light, and added only to laboratory test tubes. In short, fluorescent probes are not used at all in the sampling of nucleic acid samples and do not affect public health.

Do nasal swabs and throat swabs follow the same process?

We often use new coronary swabs, mainly pharyngeal swabs, and nasal swabs, in the clinic, only the sampling site is different, and the follow-up testing is the same. Currently, most pharyngeal samples are tested, a small number of nasal samples are tested, and a small number of pharyngeal, and nasal samples are sampled and mixed for testing.

Are sampling swabs harmful to health?

Sampling swabs are as harmless as cotton swabs. In addition, only a very small number of swabs provided in a sterile manner, sterilized with ethylene oxide, will have ethylene oxide residue after analysis and testing, and do not pose a safety risk to humans.

Why does my throat sometimes feel uncomfortable after doing nucleic acids?

This is corporate due to fiber shedding on the swab head. But can be normal for sampling time is short, the action is relatively light, generally we will not affect lead to fiber through a large number of shedding, occasional fiber shedding is also a normal development of the situation, it is recommended to gargle with water after sampling.