Molecular and immunological diagnosis of human respiratory syncytial viruses A and B from respiratory infection patients in Mosul City / Iraq

Background: Human respiratory syncytial virus (HRSV) is considered one of the most critical causes of Respiratory Tract Infections (RTI) across all age categories, particularly in infants, the elderly, and those with compromised immune systems. Rapid HRSV detection helps decrease antibiotic use, laboratory testing, and hospitalization time. There are no data available on diagnosing HRSV using the sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), so the major goal of the examination turned into to determine the superiority of HRSV among patients with RTI with the use of sandwich ELISA and Real-time Polymerase chain reaction (Rt-PCR) techniques. In addition, the results of these two diagnostic methods will be compared to determine the efficacy of ELISA for detecting the virus. Materials and Methods: One hundred samples of nasopharyngeal secretions and throat swabs were accumulated from patients with RTI of various ages and genders who were admitted to Mosul hospitals throughout the period March - July at concluded 2023. HRSV-Ag and HRSV-RNA were detected in each sample using ELISA and Rt-PCR, respectively. Results: The prevalence rates of HRSV-Ag and HRSV-RNA were 56% and 34%, respectively. For both tests, males were more likely to be infected with the virus than females were. When comparing the ELISA and PCR results, statistical analysis demonstrated that the ELISA had 100% sensitivity, 66.67% specificity, 60.71% positive predictive value, and 100% negative predictive value. The accuracy rate, kappa value, and percent-positive agreement between the detection techniques were 78%, 78%, 0.65, and 76.6%, respectively. Conclusion: We consider that HRSV infection can be diagnosed using both tests. The sandwich ELISA is characterized by way of being a highly sensitive, rapid, inexpensive, and simple procedure, which can be used for routine diagnostics.