%0 Journal Article
%T Evaluating Specimen Quality and Results from a Community-Wide, Home-Based Respiratory Surveillance Study.
%A Kim AE
%A Brandstetter E
%A Wilcox N
%A Heimonen J
%A Graham C
%A Han PD
%A Starita LM
%A McCulloch DJ
%A Casto AM
%A Nickerson DA
%A Van de Loo MM
%A Mooney J
%A Ilcisin M
%A Fay KA
%A Lee J
%A Sibley TR
%A Lyon V
%A Geyer RE
%A Thompson M
%A Lutz BR
%A Rieder MJ
%A Bedford T
%A Boeckh M
%A Englund JA
%A Chu HY
%J J Clin Microbiol
%V 59
%N 5
%D 04 2021 20
%M 33563599
%F 11.677
%R 10.1128/JCM.02934-20
%X While influenza and other respiratory pathogens cause significant morbidity and mortality, the community-based burden of these infections remains incompletely understood. The development of novel methods to detect respiratory infections is essential for mitigating epidemics and developing pandemic-preparedness infrastructure. From October 2019 to March 2020, we conducted a home-based cross-sectional study in the greater Seattle, WA, area, utilizing electronic consent and data collection instruments. Participants received nasal swab collection kits via rapid delivery within 24 hours of self-reporting respiratory symptoms. Samples were returned to the laboratory and were screened for 26 respiratory pathogens and a housekeeping gene. Participant data were recorded via online survey at the time of sample collection and 1 week later. Of the 4,572 consented participants, 4,359 (95.3%) received a home swab kit and 3,648 (83.7%) returned a nasal specimen for respiratory pathogen screening. The 3,638 testable samples had a mean RNase P relative cycle threshold (Crt ) value of 19.0 (SD, 3.4), and 1,232 (33.9%) samples had positive results for one or more pathogens, including 645 (17.7%) influenza-positive specimens. Among the testable samples, the median time between shipment of the home swab kit and completion of laboratory testing was 8.0 days (interquartile range [IQR], 7.0 to 14.0). A single adverse event occurred and did not cause long-term effects or require medical attention. Home-based surveillance using online participant enrollment and specimen self-collection is a safe and feasible method for community-level monitoring of influenza and other respiratory pathogens, which can readily be adapted for use during pandemics.