Prevalence and Seasonal Distribution of Respiratory Viruses During the 2014 - 2015 Season in Istanbul

Goktas, Safak; Sirin, Mumtaz Cem

The clinical presentations of different pathogens, either viral or bacterial, are similar and therefore the accurate etiologic diagnosis of ARTIs relies entirely on labora-tory investigations. Early detection of related causative agents is crucial for providing an appropriate treatment regimen, decreasing the use of unnecessary antibiotics, limiting the spread of infection, and shortening the hospitalization duration (2, 3, 5) . Different laboratory diagnostic methods are available for determining the causative pathogens related to ARTIs. The conventional methods, such as viral cell cultures and antigen detection tests (such as enzyme immunoassays and direct fluorescent antibody tests), are effective and often complementary, but they have some limitations. Although the cell culture technique is considered to be the gold standard for virus detection, the process is laborious and time-consuming, and it is almost impossible to obtain results during the acute phase of the disease. Antigen-detection tests can provide more rapid results, but are less sensitive and/or specific compared to cell culture techniques (5, 6) .