Point of Care Significance 7/10

Cepheid Xpert Flu+RSV Rapid PCR Assay Validated for CLIA-Waived Point-of-Care Settings

A multicenter study established the performance of the Cepheid Xpert Flu+RSV Xpress assay in CLIA-waived point-of-care settings, demonstrating 97-100% positive agreement and 95-99.6% negative agreement with the Prodesse ProFlu+ reference RT-PCR for influenza A, influenza B, and RSV. The fully automated cartridge-based system delivers results in approximately 60 minutes, enabling near-patient molecular respiratory virus detection without laboratory-grade infrastructure.

The original study

Accurate PCR Detection of Influenza A/B and Respiratory Syncytial Viruses by Use of Cepheid Xpert Flu+RSV Xpress Assay in Point-of-Care Settings: Comparison to Prodesse ProFlu.

Authors
Cohen DM, Kline J, May LS, Harnett GE, Gibson J, Liang SY, et al.
Journal
Journal of clinical microbiology
Type
Comparative Study, Journal Article, Multicenter Study, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
PMID
29142048
Read the original study →

Original abstract

The Xpert Flu+RSV Xpress Assay is a fast, automated in vitro diagnostic test for qualitative detection and differentiation of influenza A and B viruses and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) performed on the Cepheid GeneXpert Xpress System. The objective of this study was to establish performance characteristics of the Xpert Flu+RSV Xpress Assay compared to those of the Prodesse ProFlu+ real-time reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR) assay (ProFlu+) for the detection of influenza A and B viruses as well as RSV in a Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA)-waived (CW) setting. Overall, the assay, using fresh and frozen nasopharyngeal (NP) swabs, demonstrated high concordance with results of the ProFlu+ assay in the combined CW and non-CW settings with positive percent agreements (PPA) (100%, 100%, and 97.1%) and negative percent agreements (NPA) (95.2%, 99.5%, and 99.6%) for influenza A and B viruses and RSV, respectively. In conclusion, this multicenter study using the Cepheid Xpert Flu+RSV Xpress Assay demonstrated high sensitivities and specificities for influenza A and B viruses and RSV in ∼60 min for use at the point-of-care in the CW setting.