Korean J Intern Med.  2015 Jan;30(1):96-103. 10.3904/kjim.2015.30.1.96.

Utilization of the respiratory virus multiplex reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction test for adult patients at a Korean tertiary care center

• Ahn MY
• Choi SH
• Chung JW
• Kim HR

• KMID: 2129669
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3904/kjim.2015.30.1.96

Abstract

BACKGROUND/AIMS
Respiratory viruses (RVs) are considered to be important respiratory pathogens in adult patients, and the multiplex reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test is used frequently in adult patients with respiratory infections. However, clinical data regarding utilization of the multiplex RT-PCR test for RVs are lacking.
METHODS
We investigated the utilization of the multiplex RT-PCR test for RVs at Chung-Ang University Hospital in Seoul, Korea, between January 2012 and April 2013.
RESULTS
During the study period, the multiplex RT-PCR test was performed for 291 adult patients. The test frequency was 4.9% of rapid influenza antigen detection tests and 0.8% of respiratory bacterial culture studies. A turnaround time of < 48 hours was observed in 25.9% of positive tests. Most of the tests were performed for admitted patients (97.9%) with a community-acquired infection (84.2%) during the flu season (82.5%). RVs were detected in 81 of 291 cases (27.8%). The RV positivity rates for community- and hospital-acquired infections did not differ (28.6% vs. 23.9%, p = 0.52). Of 166 patients with pneumonia, 44 (26.5%) had a viral infection. Among the patients with RV-associated pneumonia, an RV other than influenza was detected in 20 patients (45.4%).
CONCLUSIONS
The multiplex RT-PCR test for RVs was infrequently performed at a tertiary care center, and the test results were often reported late. The test was most often performed for admitted adult patients with community-acquired infections during the flu season. The utilization of multiplex RT-PCR testing for RVs in current clinical practice should be improved.

Keyword

Viruses; Respiratory tract infections; Multiplex polymerase chain reaction

MeSH Terms

Adult
Aged
Community-Acquired Infections/*diagnosis/virology
DNA, Viral/*genetics
Female
Hospitals, University
Humans
Influenza, Human/*diagnosis/virology
Male
Middle Aged
Multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction/*utilization
Pneumonia, Viral/*diagnosis/virology
Predictive Value of Tests
Republic of Korea
Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction/*utilization
*Tertiary Care Centers
DNA, Viral