How Citizen Science is Changing the Way We Track Respiratory Infections

Imagine a public health system where everyday people help track infections in real time. That’s exactly what a recent nationwide study in the Netherlands achieved. By combining digital citizen reporting with centralized PCR testing, researchers created a scalable model to monitor respiratory infections beyond traditional healthcare systems

How It Worked: 

Over 17,000 volunteers participated by enrolling online and receiving test kits at home before the respiratory infection season began. These kits included rapid SARS-CoV-2 antigen self-tests alongside nose and throat swabs for sample collection. A random subset of symptomatic participants with negative antigen tests sent in swabs, which were tested centrally using the RespiFinder® 2SMART multiplex PCR assay to detect 24 different respiratory pathogens. This extended surveillance well beyond COVID-19.

This innovative hybrid model combines scalable home testing and citizen participation with centralized molecular diagnostics, enabling near real-time monitoring of respiratory viruses circulating in the community, even among those who do not seek medical care.

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What the Data Showed

• 47.7% of symptomatic individuals who tested negative with antigen self-tests were found to have respiratory pathogens through PCR testing.

• 96% of positive COVID-19 self-tests were confirmed in the lab.

• Among non-COVID infections, rhinovirus was the most common.

This shows that combining self-reported symptoms with lab-confirmed testing gives a much clearer picture of virus circulation.

Our Role: RespiFinder® 2SMART

We’re proud that RespiFinder® 2SMART multiplex PCR was central to this project. By testing for 24 different respiratory pathogens, our platform helped build a more complete picture of outbreaks and routine virus circulation. This empowered both researchers and communities to stay ahead of the next wave of respiratory infections.

Looking Ahead

Citizen science paired with reliable molecular diagnostics is changing the face of public health surveillance. This model accelerates outbreak detection and provides continuous monitoring, even between epidemics, enabling health authorities and communities to act faster and more effectively.

The Netherlands is pioneering this proactive, inclusive, and scalable approach, and RespiFinder® 2SMART is helping to lead the way.

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