Detection of Respiratory Viruses
Article by: James B. Mahony, Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine, Regional Virology
and Chlamydiology Laboratory, St. Joseph's Healthcare-Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
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The process of identifying the presence of viruses that cause respiratory ailments.
The detection of respiratory viruses greatly concerns epidemiologists and physicians. Acute
respiratory diseases account for an estimated 75% of all acute morbidities in nonindustrial-
ized countries, and most of these are caused by viruses. Upper respiratory tract infections
(URTIs) are among the most common infections in children, occurring 3 to 8 times per
year in children under 5 years of age, and often causing acute asthma exacerbations or
acute middle ear infections. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National
Vital Statistics Report indicates that there are 12–32 million episodes of URTIs annually in
children under 2 years of age. Viral respiratory tract infections can be caused by numerous
types of viruses. These include influenza A and B, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) types A
and B, parainfluenza virus (types 1–4), numerous adenoviruses, the "common cold" viruses
(including various coronaviruses and rhinoviruses), and a number of viruses discovered in
the twenty-first century—metapneumovirus, various coronaviruses [including severe acute
respiratory syndrome (SARS) coronavirus (Fig. 1); and severe acute respiratory syndrome
coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which is the virus responsible for COVID-19], bocavirus, and
avian influenza virus (H5N1 and H7N9).
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Content
• Clinical disease
• Traditional diagnostic
methods
• Molecular methods
Fig. 1: Electron microscopic image of SARS
coronavirus. The arrow indicates the presence of the
"corona" or crown formed by a single surface protein.
(Credit: James B. Mahony)
Key Concepts
• The detection of respiratory viruses involves methodologies that identify the presence
of viruses that cause respiratory ailments.
• Viral respiratory tract infections can be caused by numerous types of viruses, including
influenza viruses, parainfluenza viruses, coronaviruses, and adenoviruses.
• Traditional diagnostic methods include virus isolation in cell culture, direct fluorescent
antibody (DFA) staining, shell vial culture, and rapid enzyme-linked immunosorbent
assays (ELISAs).
• Molecular methods include nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs) and multiplex
polymerase chain reaction (M-PCR) techniques.
