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Updated: May 7, 2026
Quantitative Analyses of all Influenza Type A Viral Hemagglutinins and Neuraminidases using Universal Antibodies in Simple Slot Blot Assays
Published on: April 4, 2011
The blood routine test holds screening values for influenza A in 2023: a retrospective study
Jiayi Hong1, Jiajia Lv1, Min Wu2
1Department of Pediatrics, Ruijin Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
Insights
Routine blood tests can help diagnose influenza A in children. Specific blood cell counts, like lymphocyte and platelet combinations, show potential for early and accurate influenza A detection in pediatric outpatients.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Infectious Diseases
- Clinical Diagnostics
- Hematology
Background:
- Influenza A is a common pediatric respiratory illness, sometimes leading to severe complications.
- Early diagnosis and treatment are crucial for managing influenza A in children.
- Current rapid antigen tests have limitations, including frequent false negatives, delaying treatment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the utility of routine blood test parameters for early influenza A diagnosis in children.
- To identify specific blood cell count combinations that can improve diagnostic accuracy.
Main Methods:
- A study involving 537 children with influenza-like symptoms and 110 healthy controls.
- Comparison of routine blood test results and influenza A antigen detection.
- Statistical analysis, including ROC curves and logistic regression, to identify screening indicators.
Main Results:
- Significant differences in routine blood parameters were observed between influenza A-positive and negative groups.
- Lymphocyte (LYM) count, platelet (PLT) count, lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR), and LYM*PLT showed significant variations.
- The LYM*PLT combination demonstrated potential screening value, with varying optimal cutoff values and AUCs across age groups.
Conclusions:
- Certain routine blood parameters, particularly LYM*PLT, show promise for aiding in the early diagnosis of influenza A in children.
- Integrating blood cell counts into diagnostic strategies may enhance the accuracy of influenza A detection in pediatric settings.
Background:
Influenza A is the most common viral pathogen isolated from pediatric clinics during influenza seasons. Some young patients with influenza manifest rapid progression with high fever and severe sequelae, such as pneumonia and meningitis. Therefore, early diagnosis and prompt treatment are highly important. Specific diagnostic tests currently include antigen detection, antibody detection, nucleic acid test and virus isolation. Rapid antigen testing is the most commonly adopted method in the outpatient setting, but false negative results are frequently observed, which causes delayed treatment and severe outcome. Routine blood test is the most commonly used detection for the outpatients. Incorporating specific blood cell counts into rapid antigen test may overcome some technical issues and enable accurate early diagnosis.
Methods:
We enrolled 537 children with influenza-like symptoms like fever or respiratory symptoms from pediatric outpatients and 110 children without infectious diseases for control. Routine blood tests detected by a routine analyzer and influenza A virus antigen detection were performed in the patients. Significant blood routine parameters between groups were examined by statistical tests. Parameters in routine blood test were assessed by the receiver operating characteristic curve to find the screening indicators of influenza A. Multivariate logistic regression were used to establish the optimal combinations of blood routine parameters in our screening model.
Results:
Two subgroups were set according to age: ≤6 years old group and >6 years old group. In each group, patients were further divided into three subgroups: the influenza A-positive-result group (A+ group) (n=259), influenza A-negative-result group (A- group) (n=277) and healthy control group (H group) (n=110). Most routine blood parameters showed significant differences among the three subgroups in each age group. Notably, lymphocyte (LYM) number, platelet (PLT) number, lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR) and LYM multiplied by PLT (LYM*PLT) exhibited extremely significant differences. Using A- group as a reference based on the area under the curve (AUC), both age groups had a similar trend. For A- group, the optimal cutoff value of LYM*PLT was 221.6, the AUC, the sensitivity and specificity were 0.6830, 55.71% and 76.92% in the ≤6 years old group. Meanwhile, the cutoff value of LYM*PLT was 196.7, and the AUC, the sensitivity and specificity were 0.6448, 53.97% and 70.81%, respectively in the >6 years old group. Screening model based on multivariate logistic regression model revealed that LYM*PLT was the optimal parameter combinations in ≤6 years old group (AUC =0.7202), while LYM and PLT were the optimal parameter combinations in >6 years old group (AUC =0.6760).
Conclusions:
Several blood routine parameters in children with influenza A demonstrate differential levels in both age subgroups. The LYM*PLT exhibits the potential screening value of influenza infection.
