ORCHARDS-AIR Study

University of Wisconsin (UW)

Status: Enrolling

Conditions: Acute Respiratory Infection; Influenza-like Illness

Treatments: Diagnostic Test: Nasal swab; Device: Indoor air quality monitor

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT07298967

2025-1617

AS (Other Identifier)

UWMSN | SMPH | DFMCH Departmen (Other Identifier)

Protocol Version 12/15/2025 (Other Identifier)

Details and patient eligibility

About

The purpose of this observational study is to compare the effectiveness of air surveillance and to better understand the relationship between household transmission and viruses detected in the air.

Participants will provide nasal swabs and have an air sample surveillance device installed in their home.

Full description

The purpose of ORCHARDS-AIR is to utilize air surveillance in participant homes in conjunction with individually collected nasal specimens to assess their concordance and evaluate the significance of airborne detection with household transmission of common respiratory pathogens such as influenza and SARS-CoV-2.

The researchers postulate that households with documented and probable respiratory pathogen transmission will have higher rates of in-home air surveillance detection. Students with more severe illnesses will be absent more often and spend more time at home, potentially leading to absenteeism being associated with greater air surveillance detections and intrahousehold transmission.

Enrollment: 422 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 4+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion and exclusion criteria

Inclusion Criteria - Students:

• Student attends, or is eligible to attend, a school within the Oregon School District (OSD)
• Study has an illness characterized by at least 2 of 6 acute respiratory infection (ARI)/ILI symptoms (nasal discharge, nasal congestion, sneezing, sore throat, cough, fever) and student scores at least 2 points on the Jackson scale

Exclusion Criteria - Students:

• Household member listed on Wisconsin Department of Corrections Sex Offender Registry
• Illness onset more than 7 days before anticipated time of specimen collection
• Anatomical defect for which nasal specimen collection is contraindicated
• Student participated too recently (<7 days from day 14 during peak influenza / COVID-19 period and <30 days during other times, as determined by a medically-attended surveillance program)

Inclusion Criteria - Household member:

• Live in the same household as eligible student participant
• Any age and gender
• Fluent in English
• Able to provide appropriate consent or assent

Trial design

Primary purpose: Basic Science

Allocation: N/A

Interventional model: Single Group Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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422 participants in 1 patient group

Students with ARI (acute respiratoy infection)

Experimental group

Description:

Students with ARI and their household members will provide nasal swabs

Treatment:

Device: Indoor air quality monitor

Diagnostic Test: Nasal swab