This might prove very useful if it can distinguish between seasonal and H5N1 (and profitable).
FDA Clears for Marketing Real-Time Test for Respiratory Viruses* - FDA - Jan.18
The FDA has cleared for marketing a test that simultaneously detects four common respiratory viruses, including the flu, in a patient’s respiratory secretions. The ProFlu+ test provides results in as few as three hours. Other diagnostic tests for respiratory viruses are fast but not as accurate or are accurate but not as rapid. The real-time test employs a multiplex platform that allows several tests to be processed using the same sample to detect influenza A virus, influenza B virus, and respiratory syncytial virus A and B (RSV). These viruses can cause influenza, an infection of the airways called bronchiolitis, and pneumonia. All are among the leading causes of lower respiratory tract infections.**
<http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2008/NEW01780.html>
http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2008/NEW01780.html