Qiagen has announced that its Artus Influenza LC RT PCR kit and Resplex II 2.0 kits can be used to screen for the swine-flu virus.
Data analysis of the viral gene sequences showed that both products can be used to detect whether or not Influenza A virus sequences are present in a sample, including the H1N1 subtype.
If the sample proves positive, treatment with widely available medication such as Tamiflu or Relenza can be prescribed, according to the recommendations given by the corresponding drug manufacturers.
Dr Thomas Grewing, senior director of research and development for Qiagen Hamburg, said: 'We have compared the swine-fever virus' sequence with our assays.
'The primers, which define the starting and end points of a genetic sequence that is amplified to make the target sequence visible, match 100 per cent for the Artus kit and almost 100 per cent for the Resplex kit.
'We are now working with reference institutions to have both assays further re-validated and optimized based on clinical samples.' Qiagen provides several solutions for swine flu screening, testing and research.
Qiagen's Artus Influenza Kit, globally one of the most widely used assays in influenza screening, uses polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and runs on Lightcycler.
Qiagen's Resplex II v2.0 assay, a multiplex test that is also PCR based, differentiates between Influenza Type A and B, and also detects whether a sample contains additional respiratory related viruses.
In addition to test kits, Qiagen offers a number of components used for testing of samples, including sample preparation reagents, PCR enzymes, and instrumentation.