The flu viruses are respiratory pathogens which, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), infect 5–10% of the world population resulting in 3–5 million cases of severe illness and 290,000 to 650,000 annual deaths. Early diagnosis and therapeutic intervention can ameliorate symptoms of infection and reduce mortality. The conventional diagnosis of viral infections, including flu viruses, has evolved over the years with diverse approaches, however, there are inherent short comings associated with these testing. There is an urgent need for rapid and low-cost diagnostic assays, due to the enormous annual burden of influenza diseases and its associated mortality.

In this study, novel, low cost and easy to use colorimetric flu virus biosensor assay was developed. The sandwich assay format was utilized using antibodies immobilized onto cotton swabs, for the rapid detection of flu A and B viruses. These swabs serve as sample collection, analytes pre-concentration as well as sensing tool. The proof of concept was established for this assay in buffer and mucus samples. The limit of detection (LOD) of the colorimetric assay was 0.04 ng mL⁻¹ for Flu A and Flu B respectively and with linear dynamic range between 0.04 ng ml⁻¹ to 40 ng ml for both viruses in mucous samples. The assay can be performed at the patient's bed side by minimally skilled hospital personnel without the need for instrumentation. Cross-reactivity assays testing was done using Flu viruses specific activated swabs reacted with other common respiratory viral pathogens' antigen, in order to assess the specificity of the swabs.

据世界卫生组织 (WHO) 称，流感病毒是呼吸道病原体，可感染世界 5% 至 10% 的人口，导致 3 至 500 万例重症病例，每年有 29 万至 65 万人死亡。早期诊断和治疗干预可以改善感染症状并降低死亡率。病毒感染（包括流感病毒）的传统诊断多年来已经发展出多种方法，然而，这些测试存在固有的缺点。由于每年流感疾病及其相关死亡率的巨大负担，迫切需要快速且低成本的诊断测定。

在本研究中，开发了新颖、低成本且易于使用的比色流感病毒生物传感器测定法。采用夹心测定形式，使用固定在棉签上的抗体来快速检测甲型和乙型流感病毒。这些拭子用作样品采集、分析物预浓缩以及传感工具。在缓冲液和粘液样品中建立了该测定的概念验证。对于粘液样品中的流感 A 和流感 B，比色测定的检测限 (LOD) 分别为 0.04 ng mL ^-1，并且线性动态范围在 0.04 ng ml ^-1至 40 ng ml -1 之间。该测定可由技术水平最低的医院人员在患者床边进行，无需仪器。使用流感病毒特异性激活拭子与其他常见呼吸道病毒病原体抗原发生反应进行交叉反应测定测试，以评估拭子的特异性。