Dr. Wyllie’s work has identified saliva as a reliable sample type for the sensitive detection of Streptococcus pneumoniae (the pneumococcus) in healthy older adults and more recently, SARS-CoV-2 in persons suspected of COVID-19. Testing saliva unveiled hidden reservoirs of pneumococcus in older adults which holds importance when new vaccination strategies for preventing pneumococcal disease are being considered. For COVID-19, testing saliva can alleviate many of the bottlenecks encountered in the mass testing strategies required to control continuing outbreaks. To further increase access to testing, Wyllie co-developed SalivaDirect: a simple, scalable and cost-effective method to help alleviate SARS-CoV-2 testing demands.