Evaluation of nested polymerase chain methods for the detection of human coronaviruses 229E and OC43

Currently, the diagnosis of human respiratory coronavirus infection is either slow or insensitive. This paper describes nested polymerase chain reaction assays for the detection of human coronaviruses OC43 and 229E. The specificity and sensitivity of the assays have been determined and they have been applied to the detection of the viruses in nasal aspirates. These assays are more rapid and sensitive than cell culture and may replace the latter as the diagnostic method of choice.