How to determine whether it is influenza A or influenza B
Disease description:
Recently, many people around me have started having fevers. I'd like to ask how to tell whether it's influenza A or influenza B?
Doctor's answer (1)
Dr. Lu Haiying
Currently, clinicians primarily use the following three methods to differentiate between influenza A and influenza B. First, virus isolation: this involves collecting respiratory secretions from patients, culturing and propagating the virus in cells in vitro, and then identifying the virus under a microscope. Second, viral serological antibody testing: this method mainly involves blood tests that use antigen-antibody specific reactions to detect viruses and their antibodies through serological techniques. Third, viral nucleic acid testing: this involves collecting epithelial cells from the patient's respiratory tract using a throat swab to detect viral genetic material and thereby identify the type of virus.
