Association of SARS-CoV-2 Positivity in Travelers and Community Prevalence: Serial Cross-Sectional Data From the Traveler-based Genomic Surveillance Program
Smith et al.
The finding, in our words
Self-collected nasal swabs from international travellers showed concordance with community SARS-CoV-2 prevalence, with significant correlation in two-thirds of weekly intervals. This suggests traveller-based surveillance could supplement community testing programmes when diagnostic testing declines.
A paraphrase to the Library’s standard, never the abstract. The source is one link away and is always the authority.
First-void urine samples showed significantly higher detection rates of HPV-specific IgG antibodies compared to midstream urine, confirming the necessity of capturing the initial stream. The study found no significant difference between 10 mL and 20 mL collection volumes, indicating flexibility in device specifications for self-collection.
Van Caesbroeck et al., Human vaccines & immunotherapeutics · source ↗
The study found that self-collection of dried blood spots and other samples using at-home kits was a useful and cost-effective method for screening a large cohort for sexually transmitted infections outside a clinic. This demonstrates the feasibility of decentralised, patient-centric sampling for population-level infectious disease surveillance.
Mimiaga et al., Sexually transmitted infections (paywalled) · source ↗
This retrospective analysis of over 600,000 online postal self-sampling orders found that whilst return rates for urine samples were moderate to high, the return of processable blood samples was significantly lower and varied by age and deprivation level.
Gibbs et al., Sexually transmitted infections (paywalled) · source ↗
The study found that self-collected dried saliva on FishburneTabs achieved 92% accuracy for viral RNA detection compared to standard liquid saliva samples. This method supports decentralised testing by enabling reliable sample storage and transport for upper respiratory infections.
Mora et al., ACS measurement science au · source ↗
The study validated a semi-quantitative protocol for Epstein-Barr virus serology using dried blood spots, demonstrating 98.8% sensitivity and 96.5% specificity compared to paired venous serum samples. The successful validation in a self-sampling cohort confirms the suitability of this patient-centric microsampling approach for large-scale seroprevalence studies and decentralised trials.