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Scientific article
English

Use of the rapid antigenic test to determine the duration of isolation in infants hospitalized for respiratory syncytial virus infections

Contributors

Myers, Catherine; Wagner, Noémie; Kaiser, Laurent; Posfay Barbe, Klara; Gervaix, Alain

Published in

Clinical pediatrics, vol. 47, no. 5, p. 493-495

Publication date

2008

Abstract

Infants hospitalized for bronchiolitis associated with respiratory syncytial virus are isolated for the duration of their hospitalization. This article reviews whether a negative rapid antigenic test could be used to shorten the duration of isolation measures. Rapid respiratory syncytial virus tests were performed from day 3 on alternate days in all patients hospitalized for bronchiolitis. Isolation measures were removed when the test result was negative. The result of the antigenic test was confirmed by viral culture and polymerase chain reaction. Surveillance of nosocomial cases was performed daily. Forty-one patients were analyzed. On day 3, 51.2% of patients were negative by viral culture and 56.1% were negative by rapid testing. On day 5, a further 26.8% were negative by viral culture and 31.7% by rapid testing. The rapid antigen test had a low sensitivity at 60% and a specificity of 76% compared with viral cultures; therefore this test alone cannot be used to lift isolation measures.

Keywords

  • Antigens, Viral/analysis
  • Bronchiolitis, Viral/therapy
  • Child, Preschool
  • Cross Infection/prevention & control
  • Hospitalization
  • Humans
  • Patient Isolation/standards
  • Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infections/therapy
  • Respiratory Syncytial Virus, Human/immunology/isolation & purification
  • Sensitivity and Specificity
  • Time Factors

UNIGE affiliation entities

UNIGE research groups

Citation (ISO format)

MYERS, Catherine et al. Use of the rapid antigenic test to determine the duration of isolation in infants hospitalized for respiratory syncytial virus infections. In: Clinical pediatrics, 2008, vol. 47, n° 5, p. 493–495. doi: 10.1177/0009922807310936

Main files (1)

Article (Accepted version)

Identifiers

Additional URL for this publication

http://cpj.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/47/5/493

Journal ISSN

0009-9228
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Technical informations

Creation

11/03/2009 10:11:00

First validation

11/03/2009 10:11:00

Update

09/02/2026 15:44:46

Status update

09/02/2026 15:44:46

Last indexation

09/02/2026 15:47:38
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