Publications by authors named "Damielle L Hieber"

Article Synopsis
  • Respiratory infections are frequent in children, creating a need for easy-to-use saliva collection methods, leading to the development of the CandyCollect device, which resembles a lollipop.
  • A study involving healthy adults demonstrated that CandyCollect consistently matched results from traditional sampling methods (oral swabs and spit tubes) for detecting specific bacteria, achieving 100% concordance in cases where bacteria were found.
  • The CandyCollect device was favored by participants for its ease of use and has a shelf life of up to 1 year at room temperature, making it a convenient option for clinics and patients, with potential applications in diagnostics and telemedicine.
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Respiratory infections are common in children, and there is a need for user-friendly collection methods. Here, we performed the first human subjects study using the CandyCollect device, a lollipop inspired saliva collection device. We showed the CandyCollect device can be used to collect salivary bacteria from healthy adults using and as proof-of-concept commensal bacteria.

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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.

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