TY - JOUR T1 - Is the interpretation of rapid antigen testing for respiratory syncytial virus as simple as positive or negative? JF - Emergency Medicine Journal JO - Emerg Med J SP - 153 LP - 159 DO - 10.1136/emermed-2013-202729 VL - 31 IS - 2 AU - Paul Walsh AU - Christina Overmyer AU - Christine Hancock AU - Jacquelyn Heffner AU - Nicholas Walker AU - Thienphuc Nguyen AU - Lucas Shanholtzer AU - Enrique Caldera AU - James Pusavat AU - Eli Mordechai AU - Martin E Adelson AU - Kathryn T Iacono Y1 - 2014/02/01 UR - http://emj.bmj.com/content/31/2/153.abstract N2 - Objective To measure the performance characteristics of an immunochromatographic rapid antigen test for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and determine how its interpretation should be contextualised in patients presenting to the emergency department (ED) with bronchiolitis. Design Diagnostic accuracy study of a rapid RSV test. Setting County hospital ED. Intervention We took paired nasal samples from consecutively enrolled infants with bronchiolitis and tested them with a rapid immunochromatographic antigen test and reverse transcriptase PCR gold standard. Outcome measures Sensitivity, specificity, the effect of point prevalence, clinical findings and overall context on predictive values. We used these to construct a graphical contextual model to show how the results of RSV antigen tests from infants presenting within 24 h should influence interpretation of subsequent antigen tests. Results We analysed 607 patients. The sensitivity and specificity for immunochromatographic testing was 79.4% (95% CI 73.9% to 84.2%) and 67.1% (95% CI 61.9% to 72%) respectively. We found little evidence of spectrum bias. In our contextual model the best predictor of a positive RT-PCR test was a positive antigen test OR 5.47 (95% CI 3.65 to 8.18) and the number of other infants having positive tests within 24 h OR 1.48 (95% CI 1.26 to 1.72) per infant. Increasing numbers presenting to the ED with bronchiolitis in a given day increases the probability of RSV infection. Conclusions The RSV antigen test we examined had modest performance characteristics. The results of the antigen test should be interpreted in the context of the results of previous tests. ER -