A simultaneous triple culture for adenovirus, cytomegalovirus, and herpes simplex virus, using three different fluorochromes for virus detection and differentiation in the same shell vial, was developed. In evaluations the triple culture performed comparably to separate cultures, required less specimen volume, and was less expensive to perform.

A simultaneous rapid culture for influenza virus types A and B, parainfluenza virus, and respiratory syncytial virus was developed in a 96-well plate format with a culture-confirmatory stain using multiple fluorescent tags. Performance characteristics were comparable to those of standard and/or single rapid-culture methods as shown by parallel testing of 590 fresh clinical specimens and retrospective testing of 190 previously positive frozen specimens. The quadruple culture required less specimen volume than separate cultures, was significantly quicker than standard tube culture, was less labor intensive than separate cultures, and was less expensive than the other methods.