B56-13 Wearable Passive Air Samplers in Children With Asthma and Exposure to Upper Respiratory Viruses

Rationale

There are large racial and ethnic disparities in the risk of viral upper respiratory infections (URI), the predominant trigger of asthma exacerbations, in children with asthma. Racial and ethnic disparities in URI likely contribute to racial and ethnic disparities in asthma exacerbations. Personal monitoring of respiratory virus exposure is critical to advance our knowledge of which children are more likely to encounter respiratory viruses and the environments in which they are exposed, ultimately informing environmental interventions to reduce respiratory virus exposure. This technology, which had not previously existed, is emerging, but has never been tested in children. We evaluated the feasibility and acceptability of using novel passive air samplers (Fresh Air Clips) to detect personal exposure to upper respiratory viruses among children with asthma.

Methods

Children aged 6-17 years with persistent asthma who were enrolled in the Texas Home Assessment of Asthma and Lung Exposure (TexHALE) study had a Fresh Air Clip stationed in their home and were asked to wear a Fresh Air Clip on a wristband for ∼5 consecutive days. Upon pick up, families were asked about the number of days the wristband was worn. RNA targets specific to rhinovirus, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), Influenza A, and Influenza B were quantified on the Fresh Air Clips by droplet digital polymerase chain reaction tests.

Results

The 25 participants in the sample had a median age of 12 (IQR: 8-13) years; 16 (64%) participants were male. Of the 24 clips and 24 wristbands that were deployed, 23 (96%) clips and 24 (100%) wristbands were recovered; 22 (92%) children wore the wristband over a median of 6 (IQR=6-7) days. Eight (33%) wristbands tested positive for viral RNA; 5 (21%) tested positive for rhinovirus, 5 (21%) tested positive for Influenza B, and 2 (8.3%) tested positive for RSV. None of the clips tested positive for the viral RNA targets.

Conclusions

Use of Fresh Air Clips to measure personal exposure to upper respiratory viruses in children with asthma is feasible and acceptable. One third of wristbands and zero stationary clips tested positive for upper respiratory viruses, suggesting that clips stationed in homes may not be optimal to detect household exposures or that exposure outside the home may be more important in this population. Future studies could employ Fresh Air Clips as wearables to understand viral exposure and to inform interventions that ultimately reduce the burden of asthma exacerbations and respiratory virus-related morbidity.

This abstract is funded by: This work was supported by the NIH grant R01ES035131 (Matsui) and core funds of the Dell Medical School University of Texas at Austin.