| Clinical Usefulness of Rapid Antigen Test on the Diagnosis of Influenza |
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Jae Seon Kim1, Hyon Joo Choi1, Young Min Ahn1, Young Ok Hwang2 |
1Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Eulji University, Seoul
2Department of Microbiology, Seoul Health and Environment Research Institute, Seoul, Korea |
| 인플루엔자 진단을 위한 신속 항원검사의 유용성 |
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김재선1, 최현주1, 안영민1, 황영옥2 |
1을지의과대학교 소아과학교실
2서울시 보건환경연구원 |
Correspondence:
Young Min Ahn, Email: aym3216@eulji.or.kr
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| Abstract |
Purpose
: Influenza is a respiratory disease which prevails widely every year and shows high morbidity and mortality among not only chronic invalids and the old, but also among infants and young children. To prevent community-acquired influenza infection, to facilitate prompt antiviral therapy and to avoid unnecessary use of antibiotics, an easy, rapid diagnostic method for the influenza virus is needed. We evaluated a lateral-flow immunoassay(QuickVue Influenza Test), compared to viral culture.
Methods
: During two consecutive years from Jan. 2004 to June 2004 and from Feb. 2005 to Jan. 2005, 408 patients who were suffering from fever, cough and/or sore throat and myalgia were enrolled in our study. A total of 408 patients were tested with QuickVue (Quidel Co., San Diego, USA) influenza rapid antigen test and virus cultures at the same time.
Results
: Of the 408 patients tested, children who showed positive results at the virus culture numbered 77; among them, 55(71.4 percent) were type A/H3N2 and 22(28.5 percent) were type B. QuickVue influenza test had a sensitivity of 71.4 percent and a specificity of 95.8 percent. The positive and negative predictive values were 79.7 percent and 93.5 percent, respectively.
Conclusion
: In our study, this test had comparable high sensitivity and high specificity and many advantages, such as being easy to perform and simple to interpret, and showing rapid results. If rapid influenza antigen tests are widely applied in the clinic, we can begin treatment more rapidly and reduce influenza complications and the abuse of antibiotics. |
| Key Words:
Influenza , Quick test |
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