Comparison of the Luminex xTAG Respiratory Viral Panel Fast v2 Assay With Anyplex II RV16 Detection Kit and AdvanSure RV Real-Time RT-PCR Assay for the Detection of Respiratory Viruses

Ko, Dae-Hyun; Kim, Hyun Soo; Hyun, Jungwon; Kim, Han-Sung; Kim, Jae-Seok; Park, Kyoung Un; Song, Wonkeun

In contrast to the Anyplex II RV16 assay, the Luminex xTAG RVP FAST v2 assay could differentiate among three subtypes of the influenza A virus; thus, this assay may be more helpful, especially during the influenza season. Moreover, only the Luminex xTAG RVP Fast v2 assay could distinguish between coronavirus OC43 and HKU1 specimens. However, it should be noted that it was challenging to directly compare the detection capabilities of the assays because Luminex xTAG RVP Fast v2 reports its capabilities in units of copies/mL, whereas the other assays report the results in units of tissue culture infective dose 50 (TCID50)/ mL. Therefore, laboratory personnel should be aware of the characteristics and differences of the assays they use and should be cautious when performing the assays and reporting the results. In particular, laboratory staff and physicians should maintain close communication to ensure the best use of the assays.