Preferred Specimen(s) 3.0 mL Nasal swab or Nasopharyngeal swab or Throat swab or Nasal aspirate in viral transport media.
Instruction Use only sterile swabs: Dacron®, nylon, or rayon with plastic shafts. DO NOT USE calcium alginate swabs.
Transport Container Viral transport media vial
Transport Temperature
- Refrigerated 15 days,
- Frozen 1 month
Reject Criteria
- Sputum,
- Bronchial lavage,
- specimen containing alginate swab
Methodology Real-Time Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
Clinical Significance: Aid in the detection and differentiation of seasonal Influenza A virus infection and infection by the H1N1 influenza virus.