Is the antigen test performed using a nasal swab or a throat swab?

Currently, “antigen testing” generally refers to SARS-CoV-2 antigen testing, which employs nasally collected swab specimens.

Important Considerations for Antigen Testing:

1. Prior to nasal swab collection, you may gently blow your nose; however, avoid rinsing the nasal cavity with normal saline, as this may dilute the viral concentration in the nasal passages and thereby reduce test sensitivity. Nasal mucus—being a natural nasal secretion—does not interfere with antigen test results when present in small amounts.

2. If minor bleeding occurs during swabbing, apply gentle pressure to stop the bleeding before proceeding with sample collection. Minor bleeding does not affect test accuracy. However, if bleeding is substantial, discontinue nasal sampling and instead opt for oropharyngeal swab collection for nucleic acid testing (e.g., RT-PCR).

3. Patients experiencing an acute flare-up of rhinitis should defer antigen testing until symptoms have stabilized, or alternatively undergo oropharyngeal swab-based nucleic acid testing.