Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Comparative Study
. 2012 May;50(5):1704-10.
doi: 10.1128/JCM.06520-11. Epub 2012 Feb 29.

Evaluation of the Cepheid Xpert Flu Assay for rapid identification and differentiation of influenza A, influenza A 2009 H1N1, and influenza B viruses

S M Novak-Weekley  1 , E M Marlowe, M Poulter, D Dwyer, D Speers, W Rawlinson, C Baleriola, C C Robinson
Affiliations
Comparative Study

Evaluation of the Cepheid Xpert Flu Assay for rapid identification and differentiation of influenza A, influenza A 2009 H1N1, and influenza B viruses

S M Novak-Weekley et al. J Clin Microbiol. 2012 May.

Abstract

The Xpert Flu Assay cartridge is a next-generation nucleic acid amplification system that provides multiplexed PCR detection of the influenza A, influenza A 2009 H1N1, and influenza B viruses in approximately 70 min with minimal hands-on time. Six laboratories participated in a clinical trial comparing the results of the new Cepheid Xpert Flu Assay to those of culture or real-time PCR with archived and prospectively collected nasal aspirate-wash (NA-W) specimens and nasopharyngeal (NP) swabs from children and adults. Discrepant results were resolved by DNA sequence analysis. After discrepant-result analysis, the sensitivities of the Xpert Flu Assay for prospective NA-W specimens containing the influenza A, influenza A 2009 H1N1, and influenza B viruses compared to those of culture were 90.0%, 100%, and 100%, respectively, while the sensitivities of the assay for prospective NP swabs compared to those of culture were 100%, 100%, and 100%, respectively. The sensitivities of the Xpert Flu Assay for archived NA-W specimens compared to those of Gen-Probe ProFlu+ PCR for the influenza A, influenza A 2009 H1N1, and influenza B viruses were 99.4%, 98.4%, and 100%, respectively, while the sensitivities of the Xpert Flu Assay for archived NP swabs compared to those of ProFlu+ were 98.1%, 100%, and 93.8%, respectively. The sensitivities of the Xpert Flu Assay with archived NP specimens compared to those of culture for the three targets were 97.5%, 100%, and 93.8%, respectively. We conclude that the Cepheid Xpert Flu Assay is an accurate and rapid method that is suitable for on-demand testing for influenza viral infection.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1
Algorithm for specimen evaluation.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Blyth CC, Iredell JR, Dwyer DE. 2009. Rapid-test sensitivity for novel swine-origin influenza A (H1N1) virus in humans. N. Engl. J. Med. 361:2493. - PubMed
    1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2009. Evaluation of rapid influenza diagnostic tests for detection of novel influenza A (H1N1) Virus—United States, 2009. MMWR Morbid. Mortal. Wkly. Rep. 58:526–529 - PubMed
    1. Garbino J, et al. 2004. Lower respiratory viral illnesses: improved diagnosis by molecular methods and clinical impact. Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. 170:1197–1203 - PubMed
    1. Ginocchio CC, St George K. 2009. Likelihood that an unsubtypeable influenza A virus result obtained with the Luminex xTAG respiratory virus panel is indicative of infection with novel A/H1N1 (swine-like) influenza virus. J. Clin. Microbiol. 47:2347–2348 - PMC - PubMed
    1. Ginocchio CC, et al. 2009. Evaluation of multiple test methods for the detection of the novel 2009 influenza A (H1N1) during the New York City outbreak. J. Clin. Virol. 45:191–195 - PMC - PubMed

MeSH terms