Influenza is one of the most common human infectious diseases, and has profound health and economic consequences. The laboratory diag- nosis of influenza virus infections plays an important role in the global surveillance of influenza. Therefore, there is a growing demand for highly sensitive and rapid methods for detecting influenza. The performance of particular diagnostic methods is affected by various factors. In this study, we assess the effects of patients' age and time to diagnosis on the probability of detecting influenza using four diagnostic methods (virus isolation, rapid test, RT-PCR and real-time RT-PCR). We examined 3,546 samples from central and eastern Slovakia during the influenza seasons from 2005-2006 to 2010-2011. In general, the probability of influenza detection significantly decreased with the time from onset of illness to sample collection (T1) as well as with patients' age (AGE). On the contrary, time from sample collection to delivery (T2) did not play a role in the prob- ability of influenza detection. As judged by odds ratios, the virus isolation method was most sensitive to T1, followed by the rapid test and RT-PCR methods. For the effect of AGE, the rapid test and virus isolation methods were more sensitive than PCR-based methods. The effects of T1 and AGE were independent of each other. Laboratories which participate in inifluenza surveillance should use several methods to enable rapid and accurate influenza A and B virus detection.
- MeSH
- časové faktory MeSH
- chřipka lidská diagnóza epidemiologie MeSH
- klinické laboratorní techniky metody MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- ochrana veřejného zdraví metody MeSH
- roční období MeSH
- senzitivita a specificita MeSH
- věkové faktory MeSH
- Check Tag
- lidé MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- Geografické názvy
- Slovenská republika MeSH
Odbor lekárskej mikrobiológie na Regionálnom úrade verejného zdravotníctva v Banskej Bystrici pracuje ako spádové virologické laboratórium pre stredoslovenský a v chrípkovej sezóne 2009/2010 aj pre východoslovenský región. Materiál a metódy: Vzorky (nazofaryngálne výtery a pitevné materiály) boli odoberané od sentinelových aj nesentinelových lekárov, od pacientov so suspektným chrípkovým ochorením. Vzorky boli vyšetrované rýchlotestom a následne RT-PCR metódou na diagnostiku chrípky A, resp. B. Na subtypizáciu pandemickej chrípky A/H1N1 bola použitá real-time PCR metóda. Výsledky: Od mája 2009 do júna 2010 laboratórium vyšetrilo 2497 vzoriek na prítomnosť vírusov chrípky A a B a predovšetkým na prítomnosť pandemickej chrípky A/H1N1. Z 589 vzoriek pozitívnych na chrípku A bolo 537 vzoriek subtypizovaných ako pandemická chrípka A/H1N1. Predstavuje to 21,5 % zo všetkých vyšetrených vzoriek a 91,2 % zo vzoriek pozitívnych na chrípku A. Záver: V chrípkovej sezóne 2009/2010 na strednom a východnom Slovensku jednoznačne dominovala nová pandemická chrípka A/H1N1. PCR metódy sa stali kľúčovými pri vyšetrovaní pacientov s podozrením na pandemickú chrípku v laboratóriu zapojenom do surveillance chrípky a chrípke podobných ochorení v SR.
The Department of Medical Microbiology of the Regional Authority of Public Health (RAPH) in Banská Bystrica serves as a catchment laboratory of virology for the Central Slovakia Region, and in the influenza season 2009/10, it also served as such for the East Slovakia Region. Material and methods: Specimens (nasopharyngeal swabs and post-mortem specimens) from patients with suspected influenza were obtained from both sentinel and non-sentinel physicians. The specimens were analyzed by a rapid test, followed by real-time PCR (RT-PCR) for influenza A or B diagnosis. RT-PCR subtyping for pandemic influenza A/H1N1 was performed. Results: From May 2009 to June 2010, 2497 specimens were analyzed for the presence of influenza A and B viruses and in particular for the presence of pandemic influenza A/H1N1 virus. As many as 537 of 589 influenza A-positive specimens, i.e. 21.5% of all specimens analyzed and 91.2% of influenza A-positive specimens, were subtyped as pandemic influenza A/H1N1. Conclusion: In the influenza season 2009/10, the new pandemic influenza A/H1N1 clearly predominated in Central and Eastern Slovakia. PCR tests have played a key role in diagnosing patients with suspected pandemic influenza in the laboratory participating in the surveillance of influenza and influenza-like illness in the Slovak Republic.
