Influenza Kits Clinically Verified for Monitoring Swine Flu

Swine flu caused by influenza A virus H1N1 can be unequivocally detected using screening test kits.

The artus influenza liquid chromatography reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (LC RT PCR) kit provides a widely used assay for influenza screening and serves as a standard for the detection of influenza A viruses in laboratories around the world.

Developed by Qiagen (Hilden, Germany), the kit was successfully used to screen a female patient who had contracted the disease in Mexico and is currently being treated in Hamburg, Germany. The infection with the H1N1 strain of influenza A virus in sample material obtained from this patient was verified using a second Qiagen screening test, the ResPlex II v.2.0 multiplex assay.

The artus kit was also used by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Centro Nacional de Microbiología (Majadahonda, Spain), to screen for influenza A virus infections. The institute verified several possible infections with the H1N1 strain that had occurred recently. The national reference laboratory advised other institutions in Spain seeking support that the artus influenza kit provides maximum reliability for the first-line screening for the Mexican swine flu.

Although regulatory approval of both products for in vitro diagnostic applications has not been sought yet by Qiagen, applications can be officially submitted on a short-term basis depending on the further proliferation of the disease.

"Qiagen's artus influenza test can be performed quickly and the results are faultless. This demonstrates the artus test's ability to detect infections with the influenza A virus including the currently circulating Mexican H1N1 viruses," said Dr Stephan Guenther, head of virology at the Bernhard Nocht Institute (Hamburg, Germany).

Screening tests enable quick and reliable verification of potential infections and thus help to contain the spread of the epidemic. Patients that have tested positive for influenza A can then be treated with one of the commonly available pharmaceuticals such as Tamiflu or Relenza.

Qiagen offers a broad portfolio of molecular screening solutions for viral infectious diseases. The company is the leading provider of Avian Flu (H5N1) molecular detection tools and also developed the first test for the detection of SARS.

Related Links:
Qiagen
Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Centro Nacional de Microbiología
Bernhard Nocht Institute