[Detection and identification of the influenza virus in nasopharyngeal washings by solid-phase radioimmunological analysis].

In the period of epidemic rise of the morbidity level in 1983-1984, 207 specimens of nasopharyngeal washings from patients with influenza were analysed by solid-phase radioimmunoassay. Test sera containing a wide range of antihemagglutinating antibodies to different drift variants of influenza type A and type B viruses were used as diagnostic ones. The results indicate the predominance of influenza B infection (18.4%). Influenza A accounted for 14.5%, 9.2% of it being subtype H1N1. Noteworthy is a considerable portion (23.2%) of mixed influenza A and B infection. The results of this study are compared with analysis of paired sera from the same patients by the HI test.