November 30, 2022 – Due to the ongoing need to differentiate between flu, RSV, and COVID-19, there is a significant emphasis on diagnostic testing in laboratory medicine. “While many of the signs and symptoms of infections caused by these viruses are similar, the treatments and patient interventions for infections caused by SARS-CoV-2, influenza virus, and RSV are different,” said Michael Loeffelholz, Ph.D., Senior Director, Medical Affairs for Sunnyvale, Calif.-based Cepheid, a molecular diagnostics company. “Infected, hospitalized patients are often cohorted, and even in urgent care and physician office settings, antiviral agents are often prescribed for influenza infections, making accurate diagnosis important,” Dr. Loeffelholz said.
Cepheid has responded by developing fast and accurate tests for SARS-CoV-2, including the Xpert® Xpress CoV-2/Flu/RSV plus (4-plex plus) test that detects SARS-CoV-2, Influenza A, Influenza B, and Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) all in a single test. Studies have shown Cepheid’s SARS-CoV-2 tests to be among the most accurate available.1,2 Cepheid’s test systems are scalable from the point of care to the high-volume core laboratory. Importantly, the same Cepheid SARS-CoV-2 test can be used at both point of care and in the core laboratory, providing near-patient testing accuracy equivalent to that of large batch-based platforms.3
Cepheid’s 4-plex test has been shown to provide high accuracy, equivalent to that of Cepheid tests that separately detect SARS-CoV-2, Flu and RSV.4,5 Cepheid’s 4-plex plus test is the latest generation and exemplifies Cepheid’s proactive approach to address increasing genetic diversity of SARS-CoV-2.
“The 4-plex plus will improve operational efficiencies by combining four important viral targets in a single test,” Dr. Loeffelholz said. “This means fewer patient specimens to collect and laboratory tests to perform, compared to separate tests for these viruses.”