Clinical Report: Exploring the Viability of Investigating Respiratory Infection Spread

Overview

The BEready pilot study evaluated the feasibility of decentralized respiratory virus surveillance using self-collected samples, online questionnaires, and telemedicine in a Swiss household cohort. Most expected swabs were received, but protocol breaches and missing samples resulted in suboptimal analyzable-sample yield.

Background

The COVID-19 pandemic emphasized the need for cohorts capable of rapidly collecting health data and biological specimens during emerging infectious disease events. The BEready study examined whether households could report respiratory symptoms, collect samples at home, and mail them to a centralized biobank for multiplex virus testing.

Data Highlights

Key Findings

• Enrollment occurred from May 23 through September 29, 2023, and disease events were monitored through October 31, 2024.

• Respiratory illness was reported by 188 participants, producing 152 disease events across 78 households.

• A respiratory virus was detected in 82 of 131 index-case samples with valid results (63%) and 24 of 105 human household-contact samples (23%).

• Rhinovirus was the most frequently detected virus among both index cases and virus-positive household contacts.

• Viral positivity was 60% among swabs from symptomatic participants and 6% among swabs from asymptomatic participants.

• None of the 24 analyzed pet swabs was PCR-positive.

• The samples were tested for 13 respiratory viruses using a commercially available CE-IVD multiplex PCR panel.

• Incorrect submissions were attributed mainly to procedural uncertainty, limited motivation, and difficulty recording sample identification numbers.

Clinical Implications

The findings support the feasibility of symptom-triggered self-sampling and online reporting for decentralized household respiratory virus surveillance. However, the gap between received samples and valid results shows that collection rates alone may overstate operational success. Simplified sample-identification and submission procedures may improve completeness in larger cohorts. The study evaluated surveillance feasibility and did not establish effects on clinical diagnosis, treatment, or patient outcomes.

Conclusion

A decentralized household cohort using self-collected swabs and online questionnaires was feasible for respiratory virus surveillance and pandemic preparedness, although analyzable-sample yield was suboptimal. The pilot identified procedural changes that may improve future surveillance and was intended to inform investigations of emerging respiratory diseases.

Related Resources & Content

Feasibility of Studying Respiratory Infection Transmission in a Swiss Household Cohort: Findings From the BEready (“Bern, Get Ready”) Study — Grimm K, Hodel EM, Gasser L, et al. International Journal of Infectious Diseases. 2026;171:109019. doi:10.1016/j.ijid.2026.109019.