Key result
The Sofia Influenza A + B fluorescent immunoassay demonstrated a sensitivity of 72.4% and a specificity of 98.3% for the detection of influenza A compared to RT-PCR.
Why the study?
Does the Sofia Influenza A + B FIA accurately detect influenza A and B compared to RT-PCR in adult patients with influenza-like illness?
Cross-Sectional (n=209)
Does the Sofia Influenza A + B FIA accurately detect influenza A and B compared to RT-PCR in adult patients with influenza-like illness?
Effect estimate: Sensitivity 72.4%, Specificity 98.3%
The Sofia Influenza A + B FIA demonstrates acceptable sensitivity and high specificity for detecting influenza A compared to RT-PCR.
Supports Sofia FIA for influenza A screening in adults with ILI; leaves open prospective validation of clinical impact and influenza B performance.
Rapid influenza diagnostic tests (RIDTs) can facilitate the appropriate prescription of antivirals for influenza, obviate the need for unnecessary testing and antibacterial agents and allow the implementation of infection control measures. However, the reported sensitivities and specificities of different RIDTs vary widely in clinical settings, as does assay ability to distinguish between influenza types and subtypes. To evaluate the performance of the Sofia Influenza A + B fluorescent immunoassay (FIA) for the detection of influenza A and B during the 2013 Southern Hemisphere influenza season, a total of 209 consecutive respiratory tract swabs from adult patients with an influenza-like illness were tested by both Sofia Influenza A + B and an in-house real-time, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay. Compared to RT-PCR, the sensitivity and specificity of the Sofia Influenza A + B FIA for detection of influenza A was 72.4% and 98.3%, respectively. Too few influenza B positive samples were available during the study to accurately assess the Sofia's performance for influenza B detection. The sensitivity of Sofia Influenza A + B FIA for both influenza A and B detection correlated with the amount of influenza RNA present in the sample as indicated indirectly by the RT-PCR cycle threshold (Ct ). In conclusion, the Sofia Influenza A + B FIA continues to perform well as a RIDT with the circulating influenza strains of the 2013 Southern Hemisphere influenza season.
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Hazelton et al. (2014) conducted a cross-sectional in Influenza-like illness (n=209). Sofia Influenza A + B fluorescent immunoassay vs. RT-PCR assay was evaluated on Detection of influenza A (Sensitivity 72.4%, Specificity 98.3%). The Sofia Influenza A + B fluorescent immunoassay demonstrated a sensitivity of 72.4% and a specificity of 98.3% for the detection of influenza A compared to RT-PCR.
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