The performance of Luminex ARIES® Flu A/B & RSV and Cepheid Xpert® Flu/RSV XC for the detection of influenza A, influenza B, and respiratory syncytial virus in prospective patient samples

Background: The demand for rapid, accurate viral testing has increased the number of assays available for the detection of viral pathogens. One of the newest FDA cleared platforms is the Luminex ARIES (R) Flu A/B & RSV, which is a fully automated, real-time PCR-based assay used for detection of influenza A, influenza B, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). Objectives: We sought to compare the performance of Luminex ARIES (R) Flu A/B & RSV assay to the Cepheid Xpert (R) Flu/RSV XC assay for rapid Flu and RSV testing. Study design: A series of consecutive nasopharyngeal specimens received in the clinical microbiology laboratory during peak influenza season at a major academic center in Chicago, IL, were prospectively tested, using both the ARIES (R) Flu A/B & RSV and Xpert (R) Flu/RSV XC assays, side by side. Discrepant results were tested on the BioFire FilmArray (R) Respiratory Panel for resolution. Results: A total of 143 consecutive nasopharyngeal specimens, obtained from patients ranging from six months to ninety-three years in age were received between January 1st, 2017 and March 21st, 2017. There was 96.6% agreement between the two assays for detection influenza A, 100% agreement for detection influenza B and RSV, and 98.9% agreement for negative results. The Xpert (R) Flu/RSV XC performed with an average turn-around time of approximately 60 min, compared to the ARIES (R) Flu A/B & RSV of approximately 120 min. Both assays were equally easy to perform, with a similar amount of hands-on technologist time for each platform. Conclusions: Overall, these results indicate that both tests are comparable in terms of result agreement and technical ease-of-use. The Xpert (R) Flu/RSV XC assay did produce results with less turn-around-time, approximately 60 min quicker than the ARIES (R) Flu A/B & RSV.