Infections of the respiratory tract (RTIs) are the most common, and the most severe, among those treated by a health care professional. Lower RTIs, along with influenza, are the leading cause of death in the U.S. It's important to identify the causative pathogen(s) as quickly and accurately as possible before starting a treatment.

This panel tests for the presence of multiple disease-causing microbes in one respiratory sample. The respiratory pathogens panel tests for a variety of viruses and bacteria that can infect the respiratory tract.

There are lots of viruses and bacteria that can cause respiratory infections, but there aren't many of them that are common. In some cases, a healthcare practitioner may be able to guess what the cause is based on the season, your signs and symptoms, and your medical history, but without testing, he or she won't be able to identify the microbe.

The respiratory pathogen panel is a molecular test that detects the genetic material (RNA or DNA) of some of the more common pathogens. Besides detecting co-infections (two or more microbes causing infection), it can also spot microbes you might miss using traditional tests. The results of a respiratory pathogen panel might be available in a few hours, compared to a few days with some traditional testing. Some panels can also identify subtypes or strains.

There are a lot of different types of microbes you can test depending on the panel you're using. There are some panels that only test for a few viruses that are usually the cause of respiratory infections, while there are some panels that test for a lot more.