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Respiratory Outbreak Investigations: How Many Specimens Should Be Tested?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 July 2015

Emily Schleihauf ,
Sumana Fathima ,
Janice Pettipas ,
Jason J. LeBlanc ,
Todd F. Hatchette ,
Steven J. Drews  and
David Haldane
Emily Schleihauf*
Affiliation:
Public Health Agency of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Sumana Fathima
Affiliation:
Provincial Laboratory for Public Health, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Janice Pettipas
Affiliation:
Provincial Public Health Laboratory Network, Halifax, Nova Scotia Canada
Jason J. LeBlanc
Affiliation:
Provincial Public Health Laboratory Network, Halifax, Nova Scotia Canada Department of Pathology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada Division of Microbiology, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Nova Scotia Health Authority (NSHA), Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Todd F. Hatchette
Affiliation:
Provincial Public Health Laboratory Network, Halifax, Nova Scotia Canada Department of Pathology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada Division of Microbiology, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Nova Scotia Health Authority (NSHA), Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Steven J. Drews
Affiliation:
Provincial Laboratory for Public Health, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
David Haldane
Affiliation:
Provincial Public Health Laboratory Network, Halifax, Nova Scotia Canada Department of Pathology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada Division of Microbiology, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Nova Scotia Health Authority (NSHA), Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
*
Address correspondence to Emily Schleihauf, 5788 University Avenue, Room 326 Mackenzie Building, Halifax, NS, Canada, B3H 1V8 (emily.schleihauf@phac-aspc.gc.ca).
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Abstract

To determine the optimal number of specimens for virus detection in a respiratory outbreak, laboratory results from 2 Canadian public health laboratories were reviewed. The evidence suggests that 3 specimens are sufficient for detection of a virus in >95% of outbreaks, thereby reducing laboratory costs.

Infect. Control Hosp. Epidemiol. 2015;36(11): 1344–1347

Type
Concise Communications
Information
Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology , Volume 36 , Supplement 11 , November 2015 , pp. 1344 - 1347
Copyright
© 2015 by The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America. All rights reserved 

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References

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