• 1 January 1982
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 55 (5-6), 391-403
Abstract
A comparison of 5 rapid viral diagnostic techniques for identifying influenza virus in nasopharyngeal aspirates was made on patients with influenza-like illnesses. Initial results with immune EM were positive in only 1 of 11 specimens from which virus was isolated and further work abandoned. Four other rapid tests were carried out on 39 specimens from which influenza virus had been isolated in tissue culture in 28. Of these 28 specimens yielding virus, 24 (85.7%) were positive by an indirect fluorescent antibody test (IFAT) on nasopharyngeal cells; 18 (64.3%) by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), 19 (67.8%) by enzyme-linked fluorescent assay (ELFA) and 26 (92.8%) by a rapid tissue culture amplification method (TCA) in a continuous Rhesus monkey kidney line (LLC-MK2) with identification of virus by fluorescent antibody. In terms of sensitivity, simplicity and rapidity, a combination of the IFAT and TCA methods seems to be very useful.