Re: Rapid influenza diagnostic test during the outbreak of the novel influenza A/H1N1 2009 in Thailand: An experience with better test performance in resource limited setting

Abstract

We comment on parallel studies at the Faculty of Medicine, Ramathibodi Hospital in Bangkok, Thailand on nasopharyngeal specimens by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and QuickVue influenza A+B test. 1 Watcharananan S. Kiertiburanakul S. Chantratita W. Rapid influenza diagnostic test during the outbreak of the novel influenza A/H1N1 2009 in Thailand: an experience with better test performance in resource limited setting. Journal of Infection. 2010; 60: 86-87 Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (15) Google Scholar Existing rapid tests for influenza A (H1N1) virus diagnosis including the QuickVue influenza A+B test would be the only choice in health care centers without laboratory facilities for molecular and virus investigations. Consequently, RT-PCR verification of any negative rapid test 1 Watcharananan S. Kiertiburanakul S. Chantratita W. Rapid influenza diagnostic test during the outbreak of the novel influenza A/H1N1 2009 in Thailand: an experience with better test performance in resource limited setting. Journal of Infection. 2010; 60: 86-87 Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (15) Google Scholar would never be possible. Rapid test sensitivity has been very low with a negative test being a poor predictor of absence of infection. 2 de la Tabla V.O. Antequera P. Masiá M. Ros P. Martin C. Gazquez G. Buñuel F. Sánchez V. Robledano C. Gutiérrez F. Clinical evaluation of rapid point-of-care testing for detection of novel influenza A (H1N1) virus in a population-based study in Spain. Clinical Microbiology and Infection. 2009 Dec 29; ([Epub ahead of print]) Google Scholar