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Point-of-care testing

Point of care testing (PoCT) in Microbiology is used for rapid testing for Influenza A/B virus.

This is done by the following wards, but is overseen by Microbiology at Oxford University Hospitals:

John Radcliffe Hospital

Emergency Department
Emergency Assessment Unit
Ambulatory Assessment Unit

Horton General Hospital

Emergency Department
Laburnum Ward

PoCT is also used in the laboratory for patients not from these clinical areas.

For patients from areas which do carry this test, patients with a negative result should send a specimen to the lab for an additional Influenza and RSV test (FRAB).

Specimen requirements

Influenza A/B

Nasal Swab in Copan UTM
Nasopharyngeal wash
Nasopharyngeal aspirate

Laboratory turnaround time

Please refer to the Microbiology Laboratory Users Manual (pdf, 684 KB).

Laboratory method

An immunoassay that can detect influenza virus nucleoproteins via antibody-antigen fluorescence particle complexes is used, i.e. Standard F influenza A/B FIA. It has two test lines which are coated with monoclonal anti-influenza A and anti-influenza B antibodies and a control line coated with polyclonal mouse IgG is also present.

Patient samples are added to the sample well of the test device and will migrate along a membrane. If specific influenza A/B antigen is present it will react with the specific conjugated monoclonal anti-A/B forming antibody-antigen specific fluorescence complexes.

These complexes will migrate further along the pad where they are captured by a specific influenza A/B antibody on a test line this will make a fluorescence signal. The intensity of the fluorescence signal is read by the F200 analyser and a result given.