Qiagen Influenza A/H1N1 test kit

Qiagen has launch its Influenza A/H1N1 test and several updates to its activities in the global surveillance of the swine flu pandemic. The kit enables both the highly sensitive and specific detection of the novel Influenza A/H1N1 and all other known Influenza A and B virus strains. The test kit has been designed for use by governments and public health institutions.

The artus Influenza/H1 RG/LC RT-PCR Kit provides highly accurate results in approximately 40 minutes compared to many current molecular solutions and most antigen-based H1N1 tests can either take up to several hours to produce results or, in the case of rapid protein-based tests, have been found to have a low sensitivity in detecting the virus.

The kit can also detect infections with other known Influenza A and B strains likely to emerge and disseminate in the population during the upcoming flu season.

The rapid turnaround time of the company’s new test can result in faster reporting of results, a key factor in monitoring and controlling outbreaks.

Designed for use with the company’s automated sample and assay technologies, such as the thermo cycler Rotor-Gene Q, it is also compatible with other platforms, allowing labs to quickly adopt and run it on existing instruments without the need for additional training.