Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry for identifying acute viral upper respiratory tract infections ★

Diagnosis of respiratory viruses traditionally relies on culture or antigen detection. We aimed to demonstrate capacity of the reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction/electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (RT-PCR/ESI-MS) platform to identify clinical relevant respiratory viruses in nasopharyngeal aspirate (NPA) samples and compare the diagnostic performance characteristics relative to conventional culture- and antigen-based methods. An RT-PCR/ESI-MS respiratory virus surveillance kit designed to detect respiratory syncytial virus, influenza A and B, parainfluenza types 1–4, Adenoviridae types A–F, Coronaviridae, human bocavirus, and human metapneumovirus was evaluated using both mock-ups and frozen archived NPA (N = 280), 95 of which were positive by clinical virology methods. RT-PCR/ESI-MS detected 74/95 (77.9%) known positive samples and identified an additional 13/185 (7%) from culture-negative samples. Viruses that are nondetectable with conventional methods were also identified. Viral load was semiquantifiable and ranged from 2400 to >320 000 copies/mL. Time to results was 8 h. RT-PCR/ESI-MS showed promise in rapid detection of respiratory viruses and merits further evaluation for use in clinical settings.