Publications by authors named "E Wald"
The CandyCollect device is a lollipop-inspired open fluidic oral sampling device designed to provide a comfortable user sampling experience. We demonstrate that the CandyCollect device can be coupled with a rapid antigen detection test (RADT) kit designed for Group A Streptococcus (GAS). Through experiments with pooled saliva spiked with we tested various reagents and elution volumes to optimize the RADT readout from CandyCollect device samples.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPerformance characteristics of "lollipop" swabs for the diagnosis of infection with SARS-CoV-2.
Diagn Microbiol Infect Dis
September 2024
Background: Common biologic samples used to diagnose COVID-19 include nasopharyngeal, nasal, or oropharyngeal swabs, and salivary samples. The performance characteristics of a sucked "lollipop" swab to detect SARS-CoV-2 virus is assessed in four small sub-studies.
Methods: In each sub-study, a flocked swab was sucked for 20 s and submitted for PCR detection of SARS-CoV-2 virus.
Article Synopsis
- Traditional pharyngeal swabs are uncomfortable for children, leading to issues like reluctance to visit the clinic and potentially incorrect diagnoses for sore throats.
- The CandyCollect device, a lollipop-inspired sampling tool, effectively captured Group A Streptococcus in children, with high approval ratings from both children and caregivers regarding its taste and ease of use.
- While all tested methods (CandyCollect, mouth swab, and pharyngeal swab) were equally effective, there is potential for improvement in the collection time for CandyCollect without compromising its appealing design.
Objective: Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorder Associated with Streptococcal infection (PANDAS) and Pediatric Acute-Onset Neuropsychiatric syndrome (PANS) are presumed autoimmune complications of infection or other instigating events. To determine the incidence of these disorders, we performed a retrospective review for the years 2017-2019 at three academic medical centers.
Methods: We identified the population of children receiving well-child care at each institution.