title: Bedside diagnosis of influenzavirus infections in hospitalized children.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  For preventing nosocomial influenza infections and to facilitate prompt antiviral therapy, an accessible, rapid diagnostic method for influenzavirus is needed. We evaluated the performance of a lateral-flow immunoassay (QuickVue Influenza Test) completed at the bedside of hospitalized children during the influenza season.
  
  
  METHODS
  All children who were evaluated at a large teaching hospital during the 1999 to 2000 influenza season were eligible if they were 1) younger than 19 years and hospitalized with respiratory symptoms or 2) younger than 3 years and hospitalized with fever. Each study child had 2 nasal swabs obtained--1 for influenzavirus culture and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and the other for the QuickVue Influenza Test. The performance of the rapid diagnostic test was compared with the results of culture or PCR for influenza A or B.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of 303 eligible children, 233 (77%) were enrolled. In this population, 19 children had culture- and/or PCR-confirmed influenza A infection, prevalence of 8%. The QuickVue Influenza Test had a sensitivity of 74%, specificity of 98%, positive predictive value of 74%, and negative predictive value of 98%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Among children hospitalized with fever/respiratory symptoms during the influenza season, negative bedside QuickVue Influenza Tests indicated very low likelihood of influenza infection, whereas positive tests greatly increased the probability of influenza-associated illness.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA. katherine.poehling@mcmail.vanderbilt.edu
authors.forename: Katherine A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Poehling
authors.forename: Marie R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Griffin
authors.forename: Robert S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Dittus
authors.forename: Yi-Wei
authors.initials: YW
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.forename: Kathy
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Holland
authors.forename: Haijing
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Kathryn M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Edwards
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002673:Child, Hospitalized / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007118:Immunoassay / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D009980:Influenza A virus / Q000302:isolation & purification; D009981:Influenza B virus / Q000302:isolation & purification; D007251:Influenza, Human / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000382:microbiology; D008297:Male; D009975:Orthomyxoviridae / Q000254:growth & development / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D019095:Point-of-Care Systems / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011933:Reagent Kits, Diagnostic / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014776:Virus Cultivation
chemical_list: D011933:Reagent Kits, Diagnostic