Combined oropharyngeal nasal (ON) swabs for the molecular detection of respiratory pathogens including <i>M. pneumoniae</i> in symptomatic children.

ABSTRACT: This study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic yield and acceptability of parent-/caregiver-collected oropharyngeal nasal (ON) swabs compared with healthcare worker (HCW)-collected nasopharyngeal (NP) swabs for detecting respiratory viruses and Mycoplasma pneumoniae in children. Symptomatic children (0-4 years) presenting to the BC Children's Hospital Emergency Department provided HCW-collected NP and caregiver-collected ON swabs. Acceptability was assessed using a 5-point Likert scale. Samples were tested using the SARS-CoV-2/Influenza A + B/RSV GeneXpert assay, and a subset was tested on the BioFire respiratory panel (RP) 2.1 during the initial research phase. In a subsequent implementation phase during a high incidence of M. pneumoniae, paired ON and NP swabs were collected a

SUBMITTER: Nelson H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12502526 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature