Development of rapid immunochromatographic test for hemagglutinin antigen of H7 subtype in patients infected with novel avian influenza A (H7N9) virus.

Background: Since human infection with the novel H7N9 avian influenza virus was identified in China in March 2013, the relatively high mortality rate and possibility of human-to-human transmission have highlighted the urgent need for sensitive and specific assays for diagnosis of H7N9 infection.

Methodology/principal Findings: We developed a rapid diagnostic test for the novel avian influenza A (H7N9) virus using anti-hemagglutinin (HA) monoclonal antibodies specifically targeting H7 in an immunochromatographic assay system. The assay limit of detection was 103.