At-Home Saliva Sampling in Healthy Adults Using CandyCollect, a Lollipop-Inspired Device

Respiratoryinfections are common in children, and there is a needfor user-friendly collection methods. Here, we performed the firsthuman subjects study using the CandyCollect device, a lollipop-inspiredsaliva collection device .We showed that the CandyCollect device canbe used to collect salivary bacteria from healthy adults using Streptococcus mutans and Staphylococcusaureus as proof-of-concept commensal bacteria. Weenrolled healthy adults in a nationwide (USA) remote study in whichparticipants were sent study packages containing CandyCollect devicesand traditional commercially available oral swabs and spit tubes.Participants sampled themselves at home, completed usability and userpreference surveys, and mailed the samples back to our laboratoryfor analysis by qPCR. Our results showed that for participants inwhich a given bacterium (S. mutans or S. aureus) was detected in one or both of the commerciallyavailable methods (oral swab and/or spit tubes), CandyCollect deviceshad a 100% concordance with the positive result (n = 14 participants). Furthermore, the CandyCollect device was rankedthe highest preference sampling method among the three sampling methodsby 26 participants surveyed (combining survey results across two enrollmentgroups). We also showed that the CandyCollect device has a shelf lifeof up to 1 year at room temperature, a storage period that is convenientfor clinics or patients to keep the CandyCollect device and use itany time. Taken together, we have demonstrated that the CandyCollectis a user-friendly saliva collection tool that has the potential tobe incorporated into diagnostic assays in clinic visits and telemedicine.