Rapid diagnosis of respiratory syncytial (RS) virus infection by immunofluorescence: a simplified procedure for the preparation of nasopharyngeal suction specimens.

A preliminary report on a simplified procedure for the preparation of nasopharyngeal suction specimens making direct smears of aspirated material is presented. The smears were examined by the indirect immunofluorescence (IF) technique for the presence of respiratory syncytial (RS) virus antigens. Specimens form 99 children with acute respiratory tract illnesses were collected during the winter season 1978-79, and RS virus was identified in samples from 45 of these patients. Serological investigations run in parallel showed fairly good correlation with the IF examinations of the smears. This simplified procedure for the preparation of nasopharyngeal suction specimens may be recommended when the conventional preparation cannot readily be performed.