About the Authors

Timothy J. J. Inglis

tim.inglis@health.wa.gov.au

Affiliations Division of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, PathWest Laboratory Medicine WA, QEII Medical Centre, Nedlands, Western Australia, Australia, 3 Health Support Battalion, 17 Combat Support Services Brigade, Australian Army, Keswick, South Australia, Australia, School of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Medicine Dentistry and Health Science, University of Western Australia, Nedlands, Australia

Adam J. Merritt

Affiliations Division of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, PathWest Laboratory Medicine WA, QEII Medical Centre, Nedlands, Western Australia, Australia, School of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Medicine Dentistry and Health Science, University of Western Australia, Nedlands, Australia

Avram Levy

Affiliation Division of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, PathWest Laboratory Medicine WA, QEII Medical Centre, Nedlands, Western Australia, Australia

Patricia Vietheer

Affiliations 3 Health Support Battalion, 17 Combat Support Services Brigade, Australian Army, Keswick, South Australia, Australia, Viral Fusion Laboratory, Centre for Virology, Burnet Institute, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Richard Bradbury

Affiliations 3 Health Support Battalion, 17 Combat Support Services Brigade, Australian Army, Keswick, South Australia, Australia, School of Medicine, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia

Adam Scholler

Affiliations 2 Health Support Battalion, 17 Combat Support Services Brigade, Australian Army, Enoggera, Queensland, Australia, Pathology Laboratory, Rockhampton Base Hospital, Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia

Glenys Chidlow

Affiliation Division of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, PathWest Laboratory Medicine WA, QEII Medical Centre, Nedlands, Western Australia, Australia

David W. Smith

Affiliations Division of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, PathWest Laboratory Medicine WA, QEII Medical Centre, Nedlands, Western Australia, Australia, School of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Medicine Dentistry and Health Science, University of Western Australia, Nedlands, Australia

Competing Interests

Applied Biosystems loaned the thermocycler and magnetic bead extraction robot. Field lab equipment for the pandemic response was loaned by PathWest Laboratory Medicine, who also provided reagents gratis. Timothy J. J. Inglis, Adam J. Merritt, Avram Levy, Glenys Chidlow and David W. Smith are employees of PathWest Laboratory Medicine WA. There are no patents, products in development or marketed products to declare. This does not alter the authors' adherence to all the PLoS ONE policies on sharing data and materials, as detailed online in the guide for authors.

Author Contributions

Analyzed the data: TJJI PV AS AJM DWS. Contributed reagents/materials/analysis tools: AL AJM TJJI. Wrote the paper: TJJI AJM AL DWS. PCR assay design: AJM GC DWS. Extraction method design: AL TJJI. Logistic preparations: TJJI. Preliminary deployment: AJM AL TJJI DWS. Military deployment and test performance: TJJI RB AS PV. 2010 reevaluation: AV AJM TJJI GC. Supervising pathologist, reference laboratory: DWS. Overall project direction: TJJI.