Detection of respiratory viruses with a multiplex polymerase chain reaction assay (MultiCode-PLx Respiratory Virus Panel) in patients with hematologic malignancies

Abstract

Respiratory viral pathogens are a common cause of morbidity in patients with hematologic malignancies. Sensitive molecular assays have increased the detection of common respiratory viruses and expanded the panel of detectable viruses. Both a rapid viral culture with direct fluorescence antibody (DFA) staining and a PCR-based assay (MultiCode-PLx Respiratory Virus Panel) were performed on patients with hematologic malignancies, who underwent collection of a nasopharyngeal swab or bronchoalveolar lavage from October 2006 to April 2007. Eighty-two samples from 70 patients were obtained; all patients had upper respiratory tract symptoms. Respiratory viruses were detected in 10 samples (12%) by conventional virological methods and in 31 samples (38%) by the MultiCode-PLx assay. This increased diagnostic yield resulted from better sensitivity for those viruses detectable by both methods and detection of viruses not covered by the antigen detection/rapid culture method (human metapneumovirus, coronaviruses and rhinoviruses). The MultiCode-PLx assay frequently identified respiratory viral infections which are not detected by rapid viral culture/DFA; 40% of these patients had pneumonia in addition to the upper respiratory tract symptoms. Improved diagnostics for respiratory viruses may lead to more effective management and better outcomes in this patient population.

Keywords:

• Infectious complications
• infectious complications
• clinical results