Table 1. Preferred and alternative specimen types.

Nature of illness	Specimen of choice	Alternative specimens
Mild/moderate influenza-like illness	Nasopharyngeal swab Video demonstration of nasopharyngeal swab collection can be accessed at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFwSefezIHU	Deep nasal swab, throat swab or both https://vimeo.com/397169241
Severe respiratory illness	Nasopharyngeal swab AND endotracheal or bronchoalveolar lavage. Sputum (if productive cough)	Sputum, throat swab
Autopsy	Nasopharyngeal swab AND throat swab Lung tissue or other tissues from suspected organ involvement. Specimens should be fresh or frozen at -70°C or below. Do not put into formalin fixative	Not applicable