Abstract
A rapid and reliable diagnosis of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection in childhood is very important for clinical management. In this study we compared a rapid antigen test (enzyme immunoassay, EIA) for the detection of RSV with a reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) [19-valent multiplex RT-PCR enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)] to assess the diagnostic performance. Furthermore the diagnostic value of the EIA in terms of age and season relation was analyzed. A total of 400 nasopharyngeal or tracheal secretions from pediatric patients with clinical signs of lower respiratory tract infection were included. The specimen had to be taken in a standardized manner within 72 h after admission. Specimens were tested in parallel with the EIA and the multiplex RT-PCR ELISA. The RT-PCR technique was used as the target assay. The EIA reached a sensitivity of 58% and a specificity of 90% for all samples tested. For patients > 1 year the post-test probability for a positive EIA was 91% during the RSV season; a negative test result decreased disease probability from 53 to 25%. For older patients a positive test raised disease probability from 23 to 45% during the RSV season. Negative test results did not markedly change disease probability.
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Acknowledgements
We appreciate the excellent technical assistance of the two microbiologic laboratories involved, Department of Pediatrics, University Hospital Schleswig Holstein, Germany and University Children’s Hospital Mainz, Germany.
This work received support from the Bundesministerium für Forschung (BMBF) for “PID-ARI.net,” a pediatric infectious disease network on acute respiratory tract infections.
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An erratum to this article can be found at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00431-008-0805-z
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Schützle, H., Weigl, J., Puppe, W. et al. Diagnostic performance of a rapid antigen test for RSV in comparison with a 19-valent multiplex RT-PCR ELISA in children with acute respiratory tract infections. Eur J Pediatr 167, 745–749 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00431-007-0581-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00431-007-0581-1