Abstract
To determine sensitivity of rapid diagnostic tests for detecting influenza A(H7N9) virus, we compared rapid tests with PCR results and tested different types of clinical samples. Usefulness of seasonal influenza rapid tests for A(H7N9) virus infections is limited because of their low sensitivity for detecting virus in upper respiratory tract specimens.
Highlights
Test stripFor specimens with cycle threshold (Ct) >25, rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) sensitivity was significantly lower when A(H7N9) specimens were compared with seasonal influenza virus specimens with the same Ct interval
Because the sensitivity of currently available rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) for detecting virus in clinical specimens from patients with A(H7N9) virus infection remains largely unknown, we evaluated the sensitivity and specificity of 6 such tests available in China for detecting A(H7N9) virus in different types of clinical specimens from infected patients
According to the Wondfo H7 subtype colloidal gold kit, 56 (51%) of the 110 A(H7N9) samples were positive and all 212 A(H1N1)pdm09 (n = 97) and A(H3N2) (n = 115) samples were negative (Table 2), demonstrating that this RDT can distinguish between clinical specimens positive for A(H7N9) and seasonal influenza viruses and that its rate of positivity for detecting A(H7N9) viruses is higher than that of the other 2 RDTs tested (Table 2)
Summary
For specimens with Ct >25, RDT sensitivity was significantly lower when A(H7N9) specimens were compared with seasonal influenza virus specimens with the same Ct interval. According to the Wondfo H7 subtype colloidal gold kit, 56 (51%) of the 110 A(H7N9) samples were positive and all 212 A(H1N1)pdm (n = 97) and A(H3N2) (n = 115) samples were negative (Table 2), demonstrating that this RDT can distinguish between clinical specimens positive for A(H7N9) and seasonal influenza viruses and that its rate of positivity for detecting A(H7N9) viruses is higher than that of the other 2 RDTs tested (Table 2). Viral loads were significantly higher in sputum/tracheal aspirates than in throat swab samples collected at the same time (Figure 2)
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