The use of Immunofluorescence in the Laboratory Diagnosis of Influenza Type B

Abstract

The immunofluorescence (IF) method as a means of speeding up the laboratory diagnosis of influenza B is discussed on the basis of a study of 29 outpatients with influenza-like illness during an outbreak of influenza B. The results of the IF staining are compared to findings by viral isolation and serology. The importance of an adequate sampling technique is stressed as well as the often experienced difficulty of interpreting staining results in cell preparations taken directly from the patient. The specific diagnosis is easily reached after 1–2 days incubation of infectious material in cell cultures from which cells then are scraped for IF testing.