Influence of preanalytical parameters on influenza and respiratory syncytial virus molecular detection

•Viral transport media are required for the molecular diagnosis of respiratory viral infections.•Due to high demands, shortage of viral transport media requires to switch from different manufacturers.•Performances of virus molecular detection may be influenced by preanalytical conditions such as storage time and temperature in different media.•Comparison of 3 different viral transport media indicates that storage up to 72 h at room temperature decreases detection sensitivity and 4 °C storage should be recommended.