The Pandemic Respiratory Virus Epidemiological Surveillance Trial - A Self-swab Surveillance System for Respiratory Viruses Nested Within FluTracking - Summary - MDSpire

The Pandemic Respiratory Virus Epidemiological Surveillance Trial - A Self-swab Surveillance System for Respiratory Viruses Nested Within FluTracking

  • By

  • Camille Esneau

  • David Boettiger

  • Sarah Leask

  • Nathan E Bryant

  • Natalie Niessen

  • Jodie McVernon

  • Adrian Marcato

  • Sandra Carlson

  • Stuart Browne

  • Rejoy Thomas

  • Edward C Holmes

  • Krispin Hajkowicz

  • Lynelle Tilbrook

  • Nathan Moon

  • Craig Dalton

  • Nathan W Bartlett

  • Joshua S Davis

  • December 18, 2025

  • 0 min

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Objective:

To assess the feasibility of monitoring both symptomatic and asymptomatic respiratory virus infections in community-dwelling volunteers.

Key Findings:
  • 2068 nasal swabs were collected, achieving an 84% return rate, with significant implications for understanding asymptomatic infections.
  • 3.0% of samples were discarded due to issues like delayed postage.
  • 231 out of 2013 participant-weeks (11.0%) tested positive for at least one virus, highlighting the prevalence of infections.
  • 24.2% of positive detections were in asymptomatic individuals, underscoring the importance of monitoring this group.
  • Rhinovirus (57.6%) and SARS-CoV-2 (20.3%) were the most frequently detected viruses.
Interpretation:

Regular self-collected nasal swabs are feasible for detecting respiratory viruses in a community setting and provide insights into asymptomatic infections.

Limitations:
  • The study was limited to one Australian city, which may affect generalizability to other regions.
  • Potential biases in self-reporting of symptoms and adherence to swab collection could influence results.
Conclusion:

The study demonstrates the feasibility of community-based surveillance for respiratory viruses, emphasizing the critical need to capture asymptomatic infections for a comprehensive understanding of virus transmission.

Original Source(s)

The Pandemic Respiratory Virus Epidemiological Surveillance Trial - A Self-swab Surveillance System for Respiratory Viruses Nested Within FluTracking

  • by Camille Esneau, David Boettiger, Sarah Leask, Nathan E Bryant, Natalie Niessen, Jodie McVernon, Adrian Marcato, Sandra Carlson, Stuart Browne, Rejoy Thomas, Edward C Holmes, Krispin Hajkowicz, Lynelle Tilbrook, Nathan Moon, Craig Dalton, Nathan W Bartlett, Joshua S Davis

  • December 18, 2025

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