Performance of Rapid Influenza Diagnostic Testing in Outbreak Settings

Rapid bedside tests for diagnosis, management, and prevention of nosocomial influenza

“…When positive, these rapid methods correlate well with actual influenza virus infection. 5,6 However, their M A N U S C R I P T…”

“…4 In addition, rapid identification of outbreaks allows timely introduction of measures to block transmission, thereby reducing both the number of secondary cases and disease mortality. 5,6 Not all hospitals have virology or microbiology laboratories. Lack of them can be a problem for the rapid identification of a nosocomial pathogen when the incubation period is long, when asymptomatic carriers can be the source, or when the nosocomial cases are infrequent.…”

“…However, the correct interpretation and appropriate use of RIDTs should always be considered in the light of contemporary influenza prevalence, since this affects the positive and negative predictive values of the tests. 6 Outside the influenza season, RIDT results are often difficult to interpret as stand-alone tests, and are of limited value in making patient management decisions. The probability that a positive result is a false positive is high during low prevalence periods, and any positive RIDT should be confirmed with assays with very high sensitivity and specificity such as polymerase chain reaction (PCR).…”

Diagnostic Methods of Influenza a From Clinical Specimens: A Critical Review of Literature

“…It is considered a valuable tool for rapid treatment management during an influenza outbreak event. They are simple to use, and are less expensive than molecular methods, such as RT-PCR (Peci et al 2014). Results are generated within 15 to 30 minutes, and, in some cases, it can be used at the point of care in a routine clinical setting, such as a physician's office or at an emergency department (Chartrand et al 2012).…”

Influenza, What’s Is Going On?

“…For this, there are a constant surveillance in several countries evaluating flu activities, like antigenic characterization, circulating strains, seasonality, antiviral resistance, and vaccine efficiency. In parallel with this work, we have thousands of basic or applied research being published, bringing innovations to support and network surveillance of influenza and bringing us new diagnostic tools [1][2][3][4].…”