A rapid and cost-effective screening test for SWINE-FLU

Swine Influenza Screening  On The Basis Of Neutrophils To Lymphocyte Ratio NEUTROPHIL/LYMPHOCYTE  ratio less than two may serve an excellent screening tool for isolation while awaiting throat swab culture reports for conformation of the diagnosis. If the patient presenting with two or more of influenza like symptoms (cough, sore throat, fever, rhinorrhea, malaise, headache, shortness of breath, chills) a decrease inWBC count and an N/L ratio less than 2 indicate the possibility of swine flu. But the final diagnosis must be based on throat swab culture and virus isolation, Reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).

At present, there is no validated rapid bedside diagnostic test (including so-called ‘point-of-care’ diagnostic tests). Samples for laboratory tests should be taken from the deep nasal passages, nasopharynx, throat or, if available, bronchial aspirate. N/L ratio…