Nasopharyngeal swabs and nasopharyngeal aspirates equally effective for the diagnosis of viral respiratory disease in hospitalized children

J Clin Microbiol. 1989 Jun;27(6):1387-9. doi: 10.1128/jcm.27.6.1387-1389.1989.

Abstract

Paired nasopharyngeal swab and nasopharyngeal aspirate specimens from 125 patients were compared for viral diagnosis. The viral isolation rates were comparable for the two types of specimens. There was a high level of agreement between the two specimens in overall positivity rate by immunofluorescence and positivity in culture-confirmed patients.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Cell Line
  • Child
  • Child, Preschool
  • Cytopathogenic Effect, Viral
  • Fluorescent Antibody Technique
  • HeLa Cells
  • Humans
  • Infant
  • Nasopharynx / microbiology*
  • Predictive Value of Tests
  • Respiratory Tract Infections / diagnosis*
  • Specimen Handling / methods*
  • Virus Diseases / diagnosis*
  • Viruses / isolation & purification*