Flocked nasal swab versus nasopharyngeal aspirate in adult emergency room patients: similar multiplex PCR respiratory pathogen results and patient discomfort.
Fifty adult emergency room patients with symptoms of respiratory tract infections or acute onset of extreme fatigue were sampled by both nasopharyngeal aspirate (NPA) and flocked nasal swab (fNS). Respiratory agents were detected by a qualitative influenza PCR and an 18-valent multiplex PCR in 20 of 29 patients with a clinical diagnosis of respiratory tract infection, and in 3 of 21 without such a