Accuracy of diagnostic tests for respiratory syncytial virus infection within a paediatric hospital population in Kilifi County, Kenya.

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)-induced lower respiratory tract disease is a prominent cause of hospitalisation among children aged <5 years in developing countries. Accurate and rapid diagnostic tests are central to informing effective patient management and surveillance efforts geared towards quantifying RSV disease burden. This study sought to estimate the sensitivity (Se), specificity (Sp) (along with the associated factors) and predictive values of a direct immunofluorescence test (IFAT), and two real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (rRT-PCR) assays for RSV infection within a paediatric hospital population: a multiplex rRT-PCR (MPX) and Fast-Track Diagnostics (FTD) Respiratory Pathogens 33 (Resp-33) rRT-PCR.