Rapid PCR flu test, page-6

The recent book 'Influenza' by Dr Jeremy Brown (a US emergency doctor) is v interesting and among other things, talks about flu testing in ED. Older methods of rapid testing use antibody-based methods while the more recent methods described in MJA use multiplex PCR molecular methods. The latter are more accurate than the former, but also way more expensive. He doesn't think rapid testing in ED is that valuable because most patients aren't admitted for influenza (most are sent home). That said, the Cepheid method (owned by Beckman Coulter) is selling well, but as I said before, fills a slightly different niche in flu testing that the GSS method. There are other competing methods in the same niche as GSS method, but they don't use 3-base technology.