Assessing the Test Efficacy of Influ A．B-Quick “Seiken”

Chiu SC

2003 Vol.19 NO.5

Correspondence Author：

Abstract：

Influenza virus is a virus of high infectivity. It is one of the most active pathogenic microorganisms in Taiwan, causing each year upper respiratory tract infection in many elderly persons and young children. Some patients even develop serious complications such as pneumonia, encephalitis, nephritis and metabolic disorders. Death may occur in severe cases, posing a major threat to the lives of many patients(1,2). Conventional testing methods for influenza (cell culture, immunofluorescence assay, and serum testing) take long time to obtain findings and require operation by professional technicians, they are not of much help to general practitioners in clinical diagnosis. Development of rapid and specific laboratory diagnostic techniques has always been the wish of clinical medicine and public health. These techniques can help in the effective control of disease outbreaks; they also have major impacts on the care of patients, infection control, drug use, and other clinical management. They are new techniques to be developed with priority in disease prevention and control.