title: Comparison of a new transport medium with universal transport medium at a tropical field site.
abstract: Limited data are available in rural Honduran settings describing the etiology of respiratory infections, partially due to limited specimen transport. A new molecular transport media (MTM) preserves released nucleic acid at ambient temperature for later detection. Prospective surveillance was conducted in a Honduran clinic to identify 233 children less than 5 years of age presenting with respiratory symptoms. We obtained 2 nasopharyngeal samples and stored 1 in PrimeStore® MTM at room temperature and 1 in universal transport media (UTM) at -80 °C. The specimens were then transported to Cincinnati Children's Hospital and tested for 16 respiratory viruses using a multiplex PCR panel. The 2 specimen collection systems were similar for detecting the 4 most common viruses: influenza (Kappa = 0.7676, P < 0.0001), human metapneumovirus (Kappa = 0.8770, P < 0.0001), respiratory syncytial virus (Kappa = 0.6849, P < 0.0001), and parainfluenza (Kappa = 0.8796, P < 0.0001). These results suggest that clinical specimens transported via PrimeStore® MTM and UTM yield similar viral multiplex PCR results.
authors: Division of Infectious Diseases, Global Health Center, Cincinnati Children's Hospital and Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA. Electronic address: Elizabeth.Schlaudecker@cchmc.org.
authors: Elizabeth P
authors: EP
authors: Schlaudecker
authors: Shoulder to Shoulder, Santa Lucia, Intibucá, Honduras.
authors: Joan P
authors: JP
authors: Heck
authors: Shoulder to Shoulder, Santa Lucia, Intibucá, Honduras.
authors: Elizabeth T
authors: ET
authors: MacIntyre
authors: Shoulder to Shoulder, Santa Lucia, Intibucá, Honduras.
authors: Ruben
authors: R
authors: Martinez
authors: Global Health Center, Cincinnati Children's Hospital and Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA.
authors: Caitlin N
authors: CN
authors: Dodd
authors: Division of Infectious Diseases, Cincinnati Children's Hospital and Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA.
authors: Monica M
authors: MM
authors: McNeal
authors: Division of Infectious Diseases, Cincinnati Children's Hospital and Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA.
authors: Mary A
authors: MA
authors: Staat
authors: Department of Family Medicine, University of North Carolina, Asheville, NC, USA.
authors: Jeffery E
authors: JE
authors: Heck
authors: Division of Infectious Diseases, Global Health Center, Cincinnati Children's Hospital and Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA.
authors: Mark C
authors: MC
authors: Steinhoff
mesh_terms: D002675:Child, Preschool; D003470:Culture Media / Q000737:chemistry*; D005260:Female; D006721:Honduras; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D025202:Molecular Diagnostic Techniques / Q000379:methods; D060885:Multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000821:virology; D013048:Specimen Handling / Q000379:methods*; D013696:Temperature; D014777:Virus Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000821:virology; D014780:Viruses / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*
chemical_list: D003470:Culture Media
keywords: Influenza; Transport medium