Performance of a rapid test versus real-time PCR for diagnosis of H1N1 swine flu

For effective control and treatment of swine influenza, rapid and cost-effective diagnosis is important. Although the gold-standard method for the diagnosis of influenza virus is culture isolation, it is not routinely used in outpatient settings because of the cost and the time needed to complete the assay. This has led to the development of an array of rapid influenza diagnostic tests. The aim of this study was to compare between the performance of CerTest Swine Flu card and RT-PCR in the detection of H1N1 infection. This study included 40 clinically suspected cases of H1N1. Nasal and throat swabs were collected from patients, placed in viral transport medium, and kept at 4[degree]C until being tested on the same day for the presence of H1N1, using the CerTest Swine Flu test and real-time PCR. Of these 40 suspected cases, seven [17.5%] were found to be positive by the PCR technique, whereas 33 [82.5%] were found to be negative. Of the seven positive cases by the PCR technique, six were found to be positive by the rapid test, and thus the sensitivity of the rapid test was found to be 85.7%, and the specificity was 100%.CerTest Swine Flu card rapid test was found to have reliable sensitivity and specificity compared with the gold-standard RT-PCR

Oseltamivir-resistant influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 virus in southern Brazil

The neuraminidase (NA) genes of A(H1N1)pdm09 influenza virus isolates from 306 infected patients were analysed. The circulation of oseltamivir-resistant viruses in Brazil has not been reported previously. Clinical samples were collected in the state of Rio Grande do Sul (RS) from 2009-2011 and two NA inhibitor-resistant mutants were identified, one in 2009 (H275Y) and the other in 2011 (S247N). This study revealed a low prevalence of resistant viruses (0.8%) with no spread of the resistant mutants throughout RS.