CandyCollect: at-home saliva sampling for capture of respiratory pathogens

Streptococcus pyogenes is a major human-specific bacterial pathogen and a common cause of a wide range of symptoms from mild infection such as pharyngitis (commonly called strep throat) to life-threatening invasive infection and post-infectious sequelae. Traditional methods for diagnosis include col...

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Published inLab on a chip Vol. 22; no. 18; pp. 3555 - 3564
Main Authors Lee, Ulri N, Su, Xiaojing, Hieber, Damielle L, Tu, Wan-chen, McManamen, Anika M, Takezawa, Meg G, Hassan, Grant W, Chan, Tung Ching, Adams, Karen N, Wald, Ellen R, DeMuri, Gregory P, Berthier, Erwin, Theberge, Ashleigh B, Thongpang, Sanitta
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published England Royal Society of Chemistry 13.09.2022
Subjects
Adult
Bacteria
Child
Children
Confectionery
Diagnosis
Humans
Open channels
Oxygen plasma
Pathogens
Pharyngitis - diagnosis
Pharyngitis - microbiology
Polymerase Chain Reaction
Polystyrene resins
Saliva
Sampling
Shelf life
Streptococcal Infections - diagnosis
Streptococcal Infections - microbiology
Streptococcus infections
Streptococcus pyogenes - genetics
Throats
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Summary:Streptococcus pyogenes is a major human-specific bacterial pathogen and a common cause of a wide range of symptoms from mild infection such as pharyngitis (commonly called strep throat) to life-threatening invasive infection and post-infectious sequelae. Traditional methods for diagnosis include collecting a sample using a pharyngeal swab, which can cause discomfort and even discourage adults and children from seeking proper testing and treatment in the clinic. Saliva samples are an alternative to pharyngeal swabs. To improve the testing experience for strep throat, we developed a novel lollipop-inspired sampling platform (called CandyCollect) to capture bacteria in saliva. The device can be used in clinics or in the home and shipped back to a lab for analysis, integrating with telemedicine. CandyCollect is designed to capture bacteria on an oxygen plasma treated polystyrene surface embedded with flavoring substances to enhance the experience for children and inform the required time to complete the sampling process. In addition, the open channel structure prevents the tongue from scraping and removing the captured bacteria. The flavoring substances did not affect bacterial capture and the device has a shelf life of at least 2 months (with experiments ongoing to extend the shelf life). We performed a usability study with 17 participants who provided feedback on the device design and the dissolving time of the candy. This technology and advanced processing techniques, including polymerase chain reaction (PCR), will enable user-friendly and effective diagnosis of streptococcal pharyngitis. This paper presents a new sample collection platform for a common bacterial infection, group A streptococcal (GAS) pharyngitis, also known as strep throat, caused by Streptococcus pyogenes .
Bibliography:Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available. See DOI
https://doi.org/10.1039/d1lc01132d
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These authors contributed equally to this work.
EB, ABT and ST conceptualized the research UNL designed CandyCollect devices. UNL, AMM and WCT fabricated CandyCollect devices. DLH optimized and engineered the candy to act as a timer for collection. UNL, XS, DLH, WCT, AMM, MGT, GWH and TCC reviewed the literature and collaboratively designed experiments and the human subjects study. XS planned biological experiments. XS, WCT and AMM, conducted biological experiments and data collection. KNA, advised on work with human subjects and regulatory protocols. MGT, GWH and TCC, recruited participants, made a platform to screen participant eligibility, and packaged and shipped CandyCollects to research participants. ABT, ST, EB, UNL, XS, DLH, WCT, AMM, MGT, GWH and TCC interpreted the data. UNL, XS, DLH, WCT, AMM, MGT, GWH and TCC wrote sections of the manuscript. UNL, WCT and AMM made figures for the manuscript. ERW and GPD provided expertise on clinical relevance and sampling pathogens in saliva. UNL, XS, WCT, AMM, KNA, GPD, ERW, ST and ABT edited and revised the manuscript. ABT and ST supervised the research.
Author contributions
ISSN:1473-0197
1473-0189
DOI:10.1039/d1lc01132d