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Review
. 2015 Jan;16(1):43-8.
doi: 10.1016/j.prrv.2014.07.002. Epub 2014 Aug 5.

PCR testing for paediatric acute respiratory tract infections

Jérôme O Wishaupt  1 , Florens G A Versteegh  2 , Nico G Hartwig  3
Affiliations
Review

PCR testing for paediatric acute respiratory tract infections

Jérôme O Wishaupt et al. Paediatr Respir Rev. 2015 Jan.

Abstract

Acute respiratory tract infection (ARI) is a frequently occurring disease in children. It is a clinical diagnosis for which no internationally accepted diagnostic test is available. The majority of ARI is viral in origin, though diagnostic tests for viruses were rarely performed in the past. In the past 2 decades, new molecular techniques have been introduced in many hospitals. They are capable of generating a high yield of viral and bacterial diagnoses, but their impact upon clinical practices is still questionable. In this paper, we discuss the difficulties of diagnosing ARI in children, the indications for conventional and new diagnostics and their implications.

Keywords: Acute respiratory tract infection; Child; Pathogen; Real time PCR; Virus.

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