Nasopharyngeal (NP) swabs are generally used to detect respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in infants. However, midturbinate (MT) swabs may provide comparable results. In this study, we enrolled hospitalized infants aged <24 months with RSV and collected NP and MT swabs. The resulting viral loads measured by real-time reverse-transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction were similar. Most parents preferred MT swabs over NP swabs.
Keywords: PCR; RSV; bronchiolitis; diagnostics; infants; nasal swab.
© The Author(s) 2018. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Journal of the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: [email protected].