Rapid culture test for adenovirus isolation.

A rapid culture test has been developed and evaluated for the detection of adenovirus in ocular infections. The test requires only two days' incubation of the inoculated cell monolayers on coverslips in flat bottomed tubes followed by detection of adenovirus inclusions using immunofluorescence staining method. The sensitivity of the rapid test is found to be comparable with that of the conventional tissue culture test which depends on the development of a cytopathic effect requiring 2-21 days' incubation (mean 9 X 4, SD 4 X 9).