Acute respiratory disease test

Oxoid has released a direct immunofluorescence test for the rapid detection and identification of human metapneumovirus (hMPV) in human clinical specimens.

With results in less than half an hour, and requiring only standard microbiological equipment, Imagen hMPV enables clinical laboratories of any size to screen for this important cause of acute respiratory tract (RT) illness.

Imagen hMPV is a one-step direct immunofluorescence technique that utilises monoclonal antibodies conjugated to a fluorescent dye to detect specific viral antigens expressed in all strains of hMPV. Following a short, 15-minute incubation, specimens are mounted on a slide and viewed microscopically using epifluorescent illumination. If hMPV is present, characteristic bright apple-green fluorescence is seen within infected cells. This is clearly visible against the red background staining of uninfected cells.

Until now, laboratory diagnosis of hMPV has largely depended on virus isolation in cell cultures and/or detection of viral RNA by polymerase chain reaction. These methods are time consuming and require specialised equipment, often restricting their use to larger laboratories. The speed and simplicity of Imagen hMPV, however, allows laboratories without these specialised facilities to test for hMPV and provides a suitable routine screening method for clinical laboratories of any size.

Imagen hMPV has demonstrated a specificity of 100% and sensitivity of 76-100% (depending on the reference method used). It is available in kits of 50 tests, including two positive control slides and mounting fluid.