Respiratory Virus Panel B (9 Viruses)
This complementary respiratory panel detects 9 additional viruses that cause respiratory illness, including coronaviruses and bocavirus. It expands coverage beyond the standard respiratory virus panel.
- DHA-licensed lab
- Includes Doctor Consultation
- Physician-reviewed
- Same Day Collection
24 to 48 hours
Turnaround
Nasopharyngeal Swab
Sample
What the Respiratory Virus Panel B (9 Viruses) test tells you
Respiratory Virus Panel B extends molecular respiratory testing to nine viruses that the standard panel does not include. Its best-known targets are the four seasonal human coronaviruses (229E, OC43, NL63 and HKU1), which have circulated in people for decades and typically cause ordinary colds, along with human bocavirus, human enterovirus, human metapneumovirus, human rhinovirus and parainfluenza virus type 4, none of which Panel A covers. These seasonal coronaviruses are entirely distinct from the virus that causes COVID-19, and a detection here says nothing about that infection, which is tested for separately.
This panel is generally used as a second step rather than a first one. When Panel A comes back negative and the illness still looks viral, when someone is severely unwell or has weakened immunity and the cause genuinely needs a name, or when an unusual cluster of respiratory illness needs explaining, extending the search makes sense. The method is the same multiplex polymerase chain reaction on a nasopharyngeal swab: many genetic targets are searched for at once, so a single collection answers a question that would otherwise require several separate tests.
The viruses on this panel mostly cause mild, self-limiting illness in healthy adults, and identifying one rarely changes treatment directly. What it does change is the reasoning around the illness. It can bring a search for a cause to a sensible close, support the decision not to prescribe antibiotics, and matter considerably in infants, older adults and immunocompromised patients, in whom these same viruses can move into the lower airway and cause serious disease. As with any molecular panel, detecting a virus's genetic material does not prove it is causing your symptoms (carriage and post-infection shedding are both real), so the result is read together with how you actually are.
9 more viruses from the same swab
Panel B looks for nine viruses that Panel A does not cover. Each is reported on its own line as Detected or Not detected.
- Sample: Nasopharyngeal Swab
- No fasting needed
- Results within 24 to 48 hours
Seasonal coronaviruses
4 results- Coronavirus 229ECoV-229E
- Coronavirus HKU1CoV-HKU1
- Coronavirus NL63CoV-NL63
- Coronavirus OC43CoV-OC43
Other respiratory viruses
5 results- Human bocavirushBoV
- Human enterovirushEV
- Human metapneumovirushMPV
- Human rhinovirushRV
- Parainfluenza virus 4PIV 4
Influenza, RSV, parainfluenza 1 to 3 and adenovirus are on Panel A. The seasonal coronaviruses here are not the virus behind COVID-19, which has its own test.
See Respiratory Virus Panel A (10 Viruses)Names match your lab report, where each result appears beside its reference range or is marked Detected or Not detected.
Used when Panel A is negative but a viral respiratory illness is strongly suspected, or for comprehensive respiratory pathogen assessment in immunocompromised patients.
- Extends the viral search
It covers respiratory viruses left out of the standard panel, which is useful when the first panel is negative and the illness still looks viral.
- Matters most in vulnerable patients
In infants, older adults and immunocompromised people these viruses can reach the lower airway, so naming the cause carries more weight.
- Closes the diagnostic loop
Identifying a benign viral cause can bring a prolonged and worrying search for an explanation to a reasonable end.
- Avoids pointless antibiotics
A confirmed viral cause supports the decision not to prescribe antibiotics for an illness that will not respond to them.
Reasons your doctor may request the Respiratory Virus Panel B (9 Viruses) test
Your doctor may order this test for any of the reasons below. Some are routine checks, others follow specific symptoms or an earlier result.
When the standard panel was negative
- A negative standard respiratory virus panel in someone who remains unwell with viral-looking symptoms.
- Recurrent wheezing or cough in a child where the pattern of viral triggers is being worked out.
Weakened immunity, infants & older adults
- Severe or prolonged respiratory illness in a patient with weakened immunity.
- Respiratory infection in an infant or older adult where the cause needs to be established.
Clusters & hospital admission
- An unexplained cluster of respiratory illness in a household, nursery or care setting.
- Comprehensive respiratory assessment before or during a hospital admission.
Not Detected means none of the nine viruses on this second-line panel were found in your nasopharyngeal swab. It does not exclude respiratory infection, since bacteria and viruses outside both panels are not covered. Detected means genetic material from one or more targets was present, and your report names which: a seasonal coronavirus (229E, HKU1, NL63 or OC43), human bocavirus, human enterovirus, human metapneumovirus, human rhinovirus or parainfluenza virus 4. The seasonal coronaviruses here are ordinary cold viruses and are not the virus that causes COVID-19, which needs its own test. Most cause mild illness in healthy adults, though they can be more troublesome in vulnerable patients and young children. A detection is not proof of cause: healthy people shed these viruses without symptoms, and the test can stay positive for weeks after an infection has settled. More than one virus may be present. Your doctor reads the result with your symptoms, examination and history.
Medically reviewed by Dr Nirupama Sabhapathy
This test is reported descriptively rather than on a numeric scale: each finding below explains what your report may say.
None of the 9 viruses on this second-line panel were found; bacteria and other viruses are not covered.
One or more panel viruses found; most cause mild illness, and the coronaviruses here are not COVID-19.
Ranges are a guide: your physician interprets your result alongside your symptoms and history.
What a higher result can point to
- Infection with one of the seasonal human coronaviruses, which usually causes a common cold but can be more troublesome in vulnerable patients.
- Human bocavirus infection, most often seen in young children with cough and wheeze.
- Human metapneumovirus, rhinovirus, enterovirus or parainfluenza virus 4 infection, which can range from a cold to bronchiolitis, croup or an asthma flare.
- Ongoing shedding from a recent infection that has already settled clinically.
- Detection alongside a virus found on the standard panel, since more than one can be present at a time.
These are possibilities, not diagnoses. A single value outside the reference range is interpreted alongside your symptoms, history and other tests: your doctor decides what it means for you.
What this test cannot tell you
- Detecting a virus's genetic material does not prove it is causing the illness, since healthy people can shed these viruses without symptoms.
- Molecular tests can stay positive for weeks after recovery, so a detection may reflect an infection that has already passed.
- The seasonal coronaviruses on this panel are not the virus that causes COVID-19, which requires its own test.
- A negative result does not exclude respiratory infection, since bacteria and viruses outside both panels are not covered.
Collecting your sample safely
- The swab can feel uncomfortable for a few seconds and may make your eyes water or make you cough or gag briefly.
- Slight soreness or a small nosebleed can follow and settles quickly; tell the nurse beforehand if you have a bleeding disorder or recent nose or throat surgery.
- Every swab is sterile and used once.
- 1The panel searches one nasopharyngeal swab for nine respiratory viruses outside the standard panel.
- 2It is usually a second-line test, used when the first panel is negative or the patient is vulnerable.
- 3Seasonal coronaviruses are ordinary cold viruses and are unrelated to COVID-19 testing.
- 4A detection is interpreted with your symptoms, because carriage and post-infection shedding are common.
- 5Most of these viruses cause mild illness in healthy adults and need no specific treatment.
Respiratory Virus Panel B (9 Viruses) also comes in these focused packages, which pair it with the tests usually read alongside it.
- Microbiology & PCRRespiratory Virus Panel A (10 Viruses)
This respiratory virus panel detects 10 common viruses causing upper and lower respiratory infections using multiplex PCR from a nasopharyngeal swab.…
300View - Microbiology & PCRRespiratory Bacteria Panel (8 Bacteria)
This respiratory bacteria panel detects 8 common bacterial pathogens that cause respiratory infections using multiplex PCR. It complements the viral…
300View - Microbiology & PCRCOVID-19 PCR
COVID-19 PCR detects the genetic material of SARS-CoV-2 using real-time PCR technology. It is the most accurate test for confirming active COVID-19…
150View - HaematologyComplete Blood Count (CBC)
The CBC is the most commonly ordered blood test. It measures red blood cells, white blood cells, haemoglobin, haematocrit, and platelets to assess…
35View
Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about the Respiratory Virus Panel B (9 Viruses) test. Can't find what you're looking for?
Talk to our team→It looks for nine viruses outside the standard respiratory panel: the four seasonal coronaviruses 229E, HKU1, NL63 and OC43, human bocavirus, human enterovirus, human metapneumovirus, human rhinovirus and parainfluenza virus 4. If any is found, your report names which one.
Most cause mild, cold-like illness in healthy adults and need no specific treatment. Metapneumovirus, rhinovirus, enterovirus and parainfluenza virus 4 can range from a cold to bronchiolitis, croup or an asthma flare, and bocavirus is most often seen in young children with cough and wheeze. They can be more troublesome in vulnerable patients.
Not Detected means none of the nine viruses on this panel were found in your swab. It does not rule out a respiratory infection, because bacteria and viruses outside both the standard panel and this one are not covered. Your doctor decides on next steps from your symptoms and examination.
Yes. More than one virus may be present at once, either two from this panel or one here alongside a virus found on the standard panel. Because these viruses can also be carried without symptoms or shed for weeks after recovery, your doctor judges which detection best fits your illness.
While your symptoms are still active, because the amount of virus being shed falls once you start to recover. If this panel is being added after a negative standard panel, tell the collector, since the timing of the earlier test helps with interpretation.
No. The seasonal coronaviruses covered here have circulated in people for many years and generally cause a common cold. The virus responsible for COVID-19 is a different one and is not detected by this panel; it has its own dedicated test. A positive seasonal coronavirus result says nothing at all about whether you have COVID-19.
The standard panel covers the most frequent respiratory viruses, but it is not exhaustive. If you still look and feel virally unwell after a negative first panel, extending the search to the viruses in this panel can identify the cause. It is particularly worth doing when someone is severely unwell, very young, elderly or immunocompromised.
Often it will not, because most of these viruses have no specific antiviral treatment and the illness resolves on its own. What it does do is provide a clear explanation, support a decision to avoid antibiotics, and help judge risk in patients who are vulnerable to lower airway complications.
Yes. These viruses are shed by people with no symptoms at all, and genetic material can be detected for a while after an infection has resolved. This is why a detection is never read in isolation: your doctor interprets it in the context of how you feel and what the examination shows.
No, fasting or dietary preparation is not needed. Avoid nasal sprays, saline rinses and decongestants in the hours beforehand, since they wash and dilute the area being sampled.
The respiratory virus panel B test is AED 300, including a physician-reviewed report, with results usually within 24 to 48 hours. Collection at home anywhere in Dubai, or at our lab, is free with this test, because it reaches the AED 300 threshold on its own.