Accuracy of bedside antigen tests in the diagnosis of new influenza A/H1N1v infection

Abstract

To evaluate the clinical reliability of two rapid influenza detection tests (RIDTs), we analyzed 107 specimens from patients with clinically suspected pandemic influenza A/H1N1v by these tests as well as by real-time PCR as a standard. Both RIDTs had a moderate sensitivity (28-32%), a high specificity (93-99%) and a negative predictive value of 80%. These results will impact on the clinical management and isolation precautions in patients with suspected infection. Although a positive RITD is mostly confirmatory, a negative result in the presence of high clinical likelihood of infection should be interpreted with caution and be re-evaluated by PCR.