Comparison of Cepheid® Xpert Flu and Roche RealTime Ready Influenza A/H1N1 Detection Set for detection of influenza A/H1N1

Diagn Microbiol Infect Dis. 2018 Apr;90(4):280-285. doi: 10.1016/j.diagmicrobio.2017.12.010. Epub 2017 Dec 16.

Abstract

Objective: To compare two influenza polymerase chain reaction (PCR) methods.

Methods: A total of 749 suspected MERS-CoV patients presenting at Johns Hopkins Aramco Healthcare, Saudi Arabia, each submitted a clinical sample for influenza A reflex testing using the on-site Cepheid® Xpert Flu assay and at the Ministry of Health laboratory by the Roche PCR assay.

Results: There was 92.12% overall agreement between the two methods. Specificity of the Cepheid® Xpert Flu was 95.8% for H1N1 and 94.4% for total influenza A. Cepheid® Xpert Flu sensitivity for influenza A was 100% for younger patients (0-19-year age group) but significantly lower both for older patients (68.2% for 60-79-year and 50% for ≥80-year age groups) and overall for males compared to females (72.6% and 94.0%, respectively).

Conclusions: Specificity of the Cepheid® Xpert Flu test was high; however, sensitivity for total influenza A was lower particularly in males and older patients.

Keywords: Cepheid® Xpert flu; Influenza A; Influenza A (H1N1) pdm09; Real-time PCR; Saudi Arabia.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Evaluation Study

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Child
  • Child, Preschool
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Infant
  • Infant, Newborn
  • Influenza A Virus, H1N1 Subtype / isolation & purification*
  • Influenza, Human / diagnosis*
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Molecular Diagnostic Techniques / methods*
  • Polymerase Chain Reaction / methods*
  • Saudi Arabia
  • Sensitivity and Specificity
  • Young Adult