profession

New H1N1 test more precise in diagnosis

NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted July 12, 2010

Print  |   Email  |   Respond  |   Reprints  |   Like Facebook  |   Share Twitter  |   Tweet Linkedin

Laboratories soon will be using a new, more sensitive test to diagnose human infections with the 2009 influenza A(H1N1) virus, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The CDC-developed test was authorized by the Food and Drug Administration in June. The diagnostic tool is used to isolate and amplify viral genetic material present in secretions taken from a patient's upper or lower respiratory tract, according to the CDC.

The test can detect human infections with the H1N1 virus with sensitivity and specificity greater than 96% for upper respiratory specimens. Multiple samples can be tested at the same time, and results can be provided within four hours.

The test is being shipped to public health labs and will replace a test used during the 2009 H1N1 pandemic, according to the CDC. Only labs that are qualified to test for H1N1 will receive the new diagnostic tool.

Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2010/07/12/prbf0712.htm.

Back to top


ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISE HERE


Featured
Read story

Confronting bias against obese patients

■ Medical educators are starting to raise awareness about how weight-related stigma can impair patient-physician communication and the treatment of obesity. Read story


Read story

Goodbye

■ American Medical News is ceasing publication after 55 years of serving physicians by keeping them informed of their rapidly changing profession. Read story


Read story

Policing medical practice employees after work

■ Doctors can try to regulate staff actions outside the office, but they must watch what they try to stamp out and how they do it. Read story


Read story

Diabetes prevention: Set on a course for lifestyle change

■ The YMCA's evidence-based program is helping prediabetic patients eat right, get active and lose weight. Read story


Read story

Medicaid's muddled preventive care picture

■ The health system reform law promises no-cost coverage of a lengthy list of screenings and other prevention services, but some beneficiaries still might miss out. Read story


Read story

How to get tax breaks for your medical practice

■ Federal, state and local governments offer doctors incentives because practices are recognized as economic engines. But physicians must know how and where to find them. Read story


Read story

Advance pay ACOs: A down payment on Medicare's future

■ Accountable care organizations that pay doctors up-front bring practice improvements, but it's unclear yet if program actuaries will see a return on investment. Read story


Read story

Physician liability: Your team, your legal risk

■ When health care team members drop the ball, it's often doctors who end up in court. How can physicians improve such care and avoid risks? Read story

  • Stay informed
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • RSS
  • LinkedIn