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Updated: Jun 16, 2026
Rapid Molecular Detection and Differentiation of Influenza Viruses A and B
Published on: January 30, 2017
Rapid influenza A testing for novel H1N1: point-of-care performance
Claudia Fernandez1, Mary Cataletto, Paul Lee
1Division of Pediatric Pulmonology, Children's Medical Center at Winthrop University Hospital, Mineola, NY 11501, USA. cfernandez@winthrop.org
Objectives:
The 2009 outbreak of novel influenza A H1N1 reached a pandemic status on June 11, 2009. Early detection is a key factor for management and infection-control practices. Recent studies have suggested a difference in performance of rapid influenza kits for influenza A H1N1. Our goal was to evaluate the performance of the QuickVue influenza A+B test (Quidel Corp., San Diego, CA) in an emergency department setting and determine the most current epidemiologic trends in our community.
Methods:
Results from 1137 samples for influenza A collected between April 8, 2009 and June 30, 2009 were retrospectively reviewed. Results of QuickVue influenza A+B test were compared with R-Mix viral culture and DFA results. Age distribution and hospitalization rates by age group were analyzed to further delineate the epidemiology of influenza A in a suburban hospital.
Results:
The sensitivity of the rapid test was 77%, the specificity was 85%, the positive predictive value was 74%, and the negative predictive value was 87%. We found a similar age distribution for positive influenza tests and admissions when compared with the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data.
Conclusions:
The QuickVue influenza A+B test is a sensitive assay for the novel H1N1 strain of influenza. In our hospital, the group with highest risk of hospital admission was patients aged < 25 years.
