ABSTRACT

It is clear from current evidence that rapid diagnostic methods using direct antigen and genomic amplification methods are becoming more common for diagnosing respiratory virus infections. Depending on the virus to be detected, the type of respiratory sample, and the target viral genome, PCR and often antigen-detection methods can be more sensitive than cell culture. Furthermore, although cell culture and antigen-detection methods may be cheaper and have specificity, they either do not provide a result early enough or lack appropriate sensitivity compared to PCR. Despite these potential advantages, until more is known about the viability of virus detected in asymptomatic samples by PCR between different age groups, seasons, and disease states, cell culture methods (supported by antigen detection and PCR when appropriate) remain the front-line investigation for most respiratory viruses in many general diagnostic laboratories.