Q Fever Antibody
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| WSLH Department: | CDD - Communicable Disease Division |
| WSLH Test Code: | SS02032 |
| Day(s) Performed: | Test is performed weekly |
| Turn-around Time: | 1-8 days |
| Recommended Uses: | Serodiagnosis of an infection with Coxiella burnetii in individuals with symptoms or possible exposure. Paired acute or convalescent serum are preferred for diagnostic testing. |
| Contraindications: | |
| Additional Tests Performed: |
| Patient Preparations: | Routine blood draw |
| Specimen Requirements: | Minimum of 0.5 ml serum. |
| Specimen Handling & Transport: | Store serum specimen at 2-8 degrees C and transport with frozen cool packs. |
| Collection Kit/Container: |
Serology Specimens
Sterile Transfer Tube |
| Collection Instructions: | Routine blood draw |
| Unacceptable Conditions: | Obvious microbial contamination, hemolyzed, or lipemic sera. Convalescent samples collect <2 weeks from previous submission. |
| Requisition Form: |
CDD Requisition Form B
|
| Required Information: | Laboratory regulations require the following minimum information to be provided on the requisition form for a specimen to be accepted for testing: Patient name or unique identifier; date and time of collection, patient date of birth and sex, specimen type/site of collection, test request(s), clinician name and UPIN, and address for reporting results. Please be certain that name/identifier on the form matches that on the specimen label. |
| Results Include: | Titer and interpretation |
| Limitations: | The presence of antibodies specific to Coxiella burnetii indicated exposure at some point in the past. Results should be interpreted in conjunction with clinical findings. Additional tests may be needed to rule out other causes of illness and to confirm Q fever disease. |
| Additional Tests Recommended: | Convalescent testing with this assay is recommended on all newly diagnosed patients. |
| Additional Comments: | Reaction to both phase I and phase II antibody are often seen in the test sera. However, in acute Q fever the phase II antibody is usually higher than the phase I titer. Although a rise in phase I as well as phase II may occur in later specimens, the phase II titer remains higher. In chronic Q fever the reverse situation is seen. Acute and convalescent testing is necessary for a definitive serological confirmation of a Q fever infection. Serologic results must always be interpreted cautiously in the context of the medical and epidemiological history of the patient. |
| Methodology: | Indirect Fluorescent Antibody (IFA) |
| Includes: | Semi-quantitative IFA assay for the detection of antibody to Q Fever (Coxiella burnetii) with phase 1 and phase 2 antigens. |
| CPT Code: | 86638x2 |
| Price: | $55.00 Price Effective 1/1/25 |