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Updated: Jun 18, 2026
10:05
High-throughput Detection Method for Influenza Virus
Published on: February 4, 2012
26.4K
Pre-clinically evaluated visual lateral flow platform using influenza A and B nucleoprotein as a model and its
Natpapas Wiriyachaiporn1, Siriwan Sirikaew1, Nawakarn Chitchai1,2
1National Nanotechnology Center (NANOTEC), National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA) PathumThani 12120 Thailand natpapas@nanotec.or.th.
RSC Advances
|April 28, 2022
Summary
A new lateral flow device enables rapid, simultaneous detection of influenza A and B viruses. This visual screening system offers high sensitivity and specificity, outperforming commercial tests for faster diagnosis.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Virology
- Biotechnology
Background:
- Influenza A and B viruses cause significant respiratory illness globally.
- Accurate and rapid diagnostic tools are crucial for timely treatment and public health management.
- Current diagnostic methods can be time-consuming or lack sensitivity for simultaneous detection.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a visual colorimetric rapid screening system for simultaneous detection and differentiation of influenza A and B nucleoproteins.
- To evaluate the specificity and sensitivity of the developed lateral flow device (LFD).
- To compare the performance of the new LFD system with existing commercial influenza tests.
Main Methods:
- Development of a lateral flow device utilizing monoclonal antibodies specific to influenza A and B nucleoproteins.
- Evaluation of antibody reactivity and selection of optimal antibody pairs for targeting ligands.
- Semi-quantitative analysis using a strip reader to determine detection limits and assay time.
- Pre-clinical evaluation using nasopharyngeal swabs and comparison with a standard molecular approach.
Main Results:
- The developed LFD system demonstrated high specificity for influenza A and B viruses, with no cross-reactivity to other respiratory viruses.
- The system achieved high sensitivity, detecting as low as 0.04 ng/mL for influenza A and 1 ng/mL for influenza B within 10 minutes.
- Compared to commercial tests, the LFD showed a four-to-eight-fold increase in sensitivity.
- Pre-clinical evaluation with 101 nasopharyngeal swabs showed 89% sensitivity for influenza A and 83% for influenza B, with 100% specificity for both.
Conclusions:
- The visual colorimetric LFD system provides a rapid, sensitive, and specific method for simultaneous detection of influenza A and B viruses.
- This novel diagnostic tool has the potential to improve influenza diagnosis, especially in point-of-care settings.
- The system's performance suggests it could be a valuable alternative or adjunct to current molecular diagnostic methods for influenza.
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