Comparison Between Different Sampling Sites for Detection of Respiratory Viruses

NCT06743750 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: 5888
• Study Type: observational
• Target: 501
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The goal of this observational study is to validate the use of less invasive samples (saliva, orobuccal or nasal swabs) than nasopharyngeal swab for testing common and clinically relevant respiratory viruses in children and adults presenting to an emergency departements with symptoms compatible with respiratory tract infection. The main question it aims to answer is: \- Is the precision of reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for Influenzavirus A or B, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and Rhinovirus, on saliva, orobuccal swabs and nasal swabs comparable to the gold standard nasopharyngeal swab in a pediatric and adult population presenting with symptoms compatible with respiratory tract infection. Among participants the following samples will be collected (nasopharyngeal swab is standard of care and not part of the study samples):

• Saliva
• Orobuccal swab
• Nasal swab

Conditions

Respiratory Tract Infection Viral

Keywords

Viral respiratory tract infection; Diagnostic test performance; Molecular diagnostic; Influenza; RSV; Rhinovirus

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

• Sensitivity of RT-PCR for Influenzavirus A or B, RSV and Rhinovirus, on orobuccal or nasal swab and saliva compared to nasopharyngeal swab.

  At baseline

• Specificity of RT-PCR for Influenzavirus A or B, RSV and Rhinovirus, on orobuccal or nasal swab and saliva compared to nasopharyngeal swab.

  At baseline

Secondary Outcomes (10)

• Area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve for the detection of Influenza A/B, RSV and Rhinovirus in each study sample (orobuccal or nasal swab and saliva).

  At baseline

• Positive agreement between viral copy number of RT-PCR for Influenzavirus A or B, RSV, and Rhinovirus, Parainfluenzavirus, Adenovirus, human Metapneumovirus in saliva, orobuccal swabs and nasal swabs compared to nasopharyngeal swabs.

  At baseline

• Negative agreement between viral copy number of RT-PCR for Influenzavirus A or B, RSV, and Rhinovirus, Parainfluenzavirus, Adenovirus, human Metapneumovirus in saliva, orobuccal swabs and nasal swabs compared to nasopharyngeal swabs.

  At baseline

• Prevalence of respiratory viruses in orobuccal, nasal or nasopharyngeal swabs and saliva.

  At baseline

• Sensitivity of RT-PCR for Parainfluenzavirus, Adenovirus and human Metapneumovirus in orobuccal, nasal and saliva samples.

  At baseline

Study Arms (1)

Study sample

There is only one group in this study

Diagnostic Test: RT-PCR in different respiratory tract samples

Interventions

RT-PCR in different respiratory tract samples DIAGNOSTIC_TEST

RT-PCR on saliva, orrobuccal swab and nasal swab will be performed. Nasopharyngeal swab will be performed independently of the study as standard of care.

Study sample

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 0 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)
• Sampling Method: Probability Sample

Study Population

Children or adults presenting at the emergency departments or hospitalized at the University Hospital of Bern with any symptom compatible with an acute respiratory tract infection in whom a nasopharyngeal swab to test for respiratory viruses is performed (standard of care). Consecutive participant recruitment will be performed at the children and adult emergency departments during working hours of the study nurse.

You may qualify if:

• Patients presenting at the emergency departments or hospitalized at Inselspital Bern university hospital with any symptom compatible with an acute respiratory tract infection in whom a nasopharyngeal swab to test for respiratory viruses is performed (standard of care)
• Written informed consent from the trial subject has been obtained; for patients aged 0-13 years, or not able to provide informed consent, consent obtained from the legal representative; for patients between 14-18 years, written informed consent obtained from the respective patient as well as the legal representative.

You may not qualify if:

• Patients unable to provide a saliva (e.g. patients with reduced level of consciousness). Children too young to be instructed to provide saliva are not excluded, but saliva won't be collected.
• Patients with swallowing disturbances
• Patient's lack of accountability and inability to appreciate the nature, meaning and consequences of the study and to formulate his/her own wishes correspondingly AND legal representative not available.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Insel Gruppe AG, University Hospital Bern: lead
• University of Bern: collaborator
• Roche Diagnostics GmbH: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

Inselspital, University Hospital of Bern

Bern, 3010, Switzerland

Location

Biospecimen

Retention: SAMPLES WITH DNA

Orobuccal and nasal swab as well as saliva will be retained until the end of the study. For participants agreeing to further analyses of the samples with an additional consent, samples will be stored up to a maximum of 10 years after the completion of the study.

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Influenza, Human

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Respiratory Tract Infections; Infections; Orthomyxoviridae Infections; RNA Virus Infections; Virus Diseases; Respiratory Tract Diseases

Study Officials

• Philipp Jent, MD

  University Hospital of Bern, University of Bern

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: observational
• Observational Model: OTHER
• Time Perspective: PROSPECTIVE
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: December 16, 2024
• First Posted: December 20, 2024
• Study Start: December 19, 2024
• Primary Completion: June 20, 2025
• Study Completion: June 20, 2025
• Last Updated: July 4, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-07

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

CH (1)