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Prompt diagnosis of influenza allows early initiation of antiviral therapy and may thereby prevent severe illness. Rapid immunochromatographic “bedside” tests for influenza are relatively inexpensive and easy to perform, and tests results are available within minutes. In contrast, reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) — the gold standard for influenza diagnosis — is expensive and requires complicated technology; results usually take 24 hours. In two recent studies, researchers compared the performance of these tests.
Lee and colleagues used both RT-PCR and a rapid influenza antigen test on specimens from 2154 patients who presented with suspected influenza in the fall of 2009. Of these specimens, 1225 (57%) were RT-PCR pos…