Rapid detection of respiratory viruses by shell vial assay using simultaneous culture of HEp-2, LLC-MK2, and MDCK cells in a single vial.

A shell vial assay with simultaneous culture of HEp-2, LLC-MK2, and MDCK cell lines in a single tube (CoHLM SV assay) was compared with traditional tube culture (TC) for the detection of the main respiratory viruses in 358 nasal wash specimens. A total of 170 strains were isolated from 168 virus-positive samples. A total of 94. 1% of the strains (160 strains; 128 respiratory syncytial viruses and 32 other viruses) were detected by the CoHLM SV assay in 48 h, whereas 98.2% of the strains (167 strains; 132 respiratory syncytial viruses and 35 other viruses) were detected by TC in a mean time of 6 days. The CoHLM SV assay may be useful for the rapid detection of respiratory viruses.