Nucleic acid detection tests (NADTs) have a number of advantages over other diagnostic platforms for the evaluation of respiratory specimens [4] . They demonstrate superior sensitivity in detecting organisms that are fastidious, less viable, or present in only small amounts [5] . Molecular diagnostics can also be quickly adapted to detect evolving or emerging pathogens and are amenable to efficiencies of scale such as automation. They also allow the simultaneous detection of multiple targets (multiplexing), which in turn allows for testing by clinical syndrome and the detection of co-infections. NADT methods present less of a safety hazard for laboratory personnel compared with culture, typically require less time compared with bacterial culture, and require less technical capacity compared with viral culture. Given these advantages, NADTs have been extensively evaluated in the detection of several viruses and bacteria of the respiratory tract and have become the diagnostic tool of choice for many agents that are difficult to isolate [4] .