Additional diagnostic yield of adding serology to PCR in diagnosing viral acute respiratory infections in Kenyan patients 5 years of age and older

Clin Vaccine Immunol. 2013 Jan;20(1):113-4. doi: 10.1128/CVI.00325-12. Epub 2012 Oct 31.

Abstract

The role of serology in the setting of PCR-based diagnosis of acute respiratory infections (ARIs) is unclear. We found that acute- and convalescent-phase paired-sample serologic testing increased the diagnostic yield of naso/oropharyngeal swabs for influenza virus, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), human metapneumovirus, adenovirus, and parainfluenza viruses beyond PCR by 0.4% to 10.7%. Although still limited for clinical use, serology, along with PCR, can maximize etiologic diagnosis in epidemiologic studies.

Publication types

  • Evaluation Study

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Child
  • Child, Preschool
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Kenya
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Polymerase Chain Reaction / methods*
  • Respiratory Tract Infections / diagnosis*
  • Sensitivity and Specificity
  • Serologic Tests / methods
  • Virus Diseases / diagnosis*
  • Viruses / classification
  • Viruses / isolation & purification*
  • Young Adult