Journal of clinical virology : the official publication of the Pan American Society for Clinical Virology
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Enterovirus 68 (EV-D68) causes acute respiratory tract illness in epidemic cycles, most recently in Fall 2014, but clinical characteristics of severe disease are not well reported. ⋯ EV-D68 causes severe disease in the pediatric population, particularly in children with asthma and recurrent wheeze; children may require multiple adjunctive respiratory therapies.
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Timely detection of influenza viruses is required to facilitate infection control measures and appropriate patient management. The Alere™ i Influenza A&B assay for detection of viral RNA and multianalyte mariPOC(®) test for detection of viral antigens enable rapid detection of influenza viruses with little hands-on time. ⋯ The mariPOC test proved insensitive for detection of influenza A virus and therefore unsuitable for individual patient diagnosis without confirmatory testing. In contrast, the Alere i Influenza A&B assay was reasonably sensitive and specific for detection of influenza A and B virus, although decreased detection of specimens with low viral load was observed particularly for detection of influenza B virus. Taken together with its rapidity and ease of use, the Alere i influenza A&B assay is a welcome alternative to immunochromatographic rapid influenza detection tests and may provide timely results that enable appropriate patient care and management of patient flow during high-prevalence seasons.