TOPLINE

In a pilot study of 108 Swiss households, participants self-collected samples during respiratory illness. Valid results were obtained for 70% of expected human samples and 51% of pet samples, supporting the feasibility of remote household-based surveillance for respiratory infections.

METHODOLOGY

• Researchers conducted a pilot study to evaluate whether household members could collect their own respiratory samples for testing and whether online symptom questionnaires plus telemedicine could support decentralised surveillance.
• They enrolled 108 households, including 161 adults, 32 children, 29 cats, and 15 dogs, in Switzerland from May to September 2023.
• The first household member to develop new respiratory symptoms (sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, cough, or shortness of breath) for at least 24 hours collected a nasal swab as the index case; other members collected swabs 7 days later. All samples were mailed to a central biobank.
• Samples were tested using a multiplex polymerase chain reaction panel for 13 common respiratory viruses, including SARS-CoV-2, influenza A and B, human rhinovirus, human respiratory syncytial virus, human metapneumovirus, and human parainfluenza virus.
• A short survey was conducted to assess the clarity of instructions and acceptability. The total duration of the study was 21 months.

TAKEAWAY

• Overall, 70% (131/188) of samples from index cases, 69% (105/152) of samples from household contacts, and 51% (24/47) of samples from pets were analysed.
• Swabs from symptomatic participants were positive far more often than those from asymptomatic participants (60% vs 6%); potential within-household transmission was observed for rhinovirus (14 cases), SARS-CoV-2 (three cases), and parainfluenza (two cases).
• Among index cases, 63% of samples were positive for any of the 13 viruses, most commonly rhinovirus and SARS-CoV-2; among human household contacts, 23% were positive for any virus, with rhinovirus predominating.
• In the survey, 70% of respondents said the nasal swab was not unpleasant, and 52% said the nasal swab was not unpleasant for the pet; among participants from 10 households who became ill during the first month, 80% reported that telemedicine consultations were helpful.

IN PRACTICE

"It is feasible to establish a decentralized household-based cohort for pandemic preparedness using remote sampling and online questionnaires. Our study will inform investigations of emerging diseases," the authors wrote.

SOURCE

The study was led by Karin Grimm, MD, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland. It was published online on July 29, 2026, as a short communication in the International Journal of Infectious Diseases.

LIMITATIONS

About one third of the expected samples were missing, and the study did not test for bacterial pathogens such as pneumococcus and Mycoplasma pneumoniae.

DISCLOSURES

The study was funded by the Multidisciplinary Center for Infectious Diseases at the University of Bern. The authors reported having no competing interests.

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.