Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 1, 2026
High-throughput Detection Method for Influenza Virus
Published on: February 4, 2012
[Comparison of 2 techniques for the laboratory diagnosis of influenza virus infections]
V L Savy1, E G Baumeister, A M Campos
1Departamento Virología, Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Infecciosas-ANLIS, Buenos Aires, Argentina. vrmalbra@datamarkets.com.ar
Insights
Rapid immunofluorescent assay (IF) shows lower sensitivity for influenza diagnosis compared to viral culture. For accurate influenza detection, especially in small labs, consider IF limitations and optimize culture methods for full isolate characterization.
Area of Science:
- Virology
- Clinical Diagnostics
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Accurate and rapid influenza diagnosis is crucial for clinical and epidemiological surveillance.
- Small laboratories require accessible and sensitive diagnostic techniques.
- Current influenza diagnostic methods in Argentina needed evaluation for sensitivity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the sensitivity of indirect immunofluorescent assay (IF) with rapid viral culture for influenza diagnosis.
- To assess the performance of IF for influenza virus detection in clinical samples.
Main Methods:
- Tested 81 nasal and pharyngeal swabs from outpatients with influenza-like illness during the 1998 winter season in Argentina.
- Compared rapid diagnosis by indirect immunofluorescent assay (IF) against rapid viral culture in MDCK cells.
Main Results:
- Indirect immunofluorescent assay (IF) demonstrated a specificity of 91.9% and a sensitivity of 59.5%.
- Viral culture in MDCK cells served as the comparative method for influenza diagnosis.
Conclusions:
- The limitations of simple techniques like IF for influenza diagnosis must be considered.
- Optimized viral culture methods are recommended for complex laboratories to enable full characterization of influenza isolates.
Abstract:
The clinical or epidemiological influenza diagnosis require fast, sensitive and accessible techniques for small laboratories. In order to investigate the sensitivity of the methods currently used in Argentina, the rapid diagnosis by indirect immunofluorescent assay (IF) was compared to the rapid viral culture in MDCK cells. The diagnosis of influenza virus infection was performed on 81 nasal and pharyngeal swabs collected from outpatients with upper respiratory infection, influenza-like syndrome. The samples were collected during 1998 winter season and both techniques were tested. The IF specificity and sensitivity obtained were 91.9% and 59.5%, respectively. In the selection of the assay to be used for influenza diagnosis, the limitations of the simplest techniques such as IF should be considered. Furthermore, it is advisable to set up an optimized culture method in complex laboratories since culture is the only technique which allows the reference centers to perform the full characterization of the isolates.
