Robust informatics methods for accurate diagnosis using highly multiplexed virus arrays

To address the limitations of traditional pathogen detection methodologies in clinical diagnosis, scientists have developed oligonucleotide microarrays. However, pathogen array interpretation remains challenging because of false positive probes. We conceived a novel computational method to interpret these arrays. In an evaluation using clinical samples, our method was compared to five others. Though most methods showed high specificity and sensitivity, only the proposed method showed significant advantages in positive predictive value (2-60 fold increase).