A method to detect and quantify SARS-CoV-2 in nasal exhaled breath

ABSTRACT

SARS-CoV-2 is assumed to spread through exhaled respiratory droplets and aerosols, but very little research has directly measured the virus in exhaled breath, and our understanding of the relationship between olfactory symptoms of COVID-19 and infectious shedding of the virus is limited. Whether there is any relationship between olfactory dysfunction and viral shedding in nasal exhalate is unknown. Here, we developed a device and a method for collecting and quantifying SARS-CoV-2 RNA in the exhaled breath condensate of COVID-19 patients. Our device is portable, inexpensive and simple enough to use that breath samples can be self-collected by patients in their homes. It has configurations for both oral and nasal breath collection, allowing for comparison of viral loads across the two breathing routes. This device can be used to determine whether there is a difference between oral and nasal shedding of the virus on breath, and to determine whether viral shedding on nasal or oral breath is related to chemosensory symptoms.