Q Fever Antibody
Print
| WSLH Department: | CDD - Communicable Disease Division |
| WSLH Test Code: | SS02032 |
| Day(s) Performed: | Test is performed once a week |
| 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. |
| Pre-approval: | N |
| Contraindications: | |
| Additional Tests Performed: |
| Preparation for Collection: | |
| Specimen Requirements: | Minimum of 0.5 ml serum |
| Collection Instructions: | Routine blood draw |
| Collection Kit/Container: |
|
| Requisition Form: |
|
| 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. |
| Rejection Criteria: | Obvious microbial contamination, hemolyzed, or lipemic sera. Convalescent samples collect <2 weeks from previous submission. |
| Specimen Handling: | Store serum specimen at 2-8 °C and transport with frozen cold packs. Freeze (-20 to -80°C) specimen if testing will not be performed within 5 days of collection and ship on dry ice. |
| Packaging Requirements: | |
| Courier Information: | This test is not eligible for fee-exempt courier service. |
| Specimen Receiving Hours: | Monday-Friday 7:45 AM - 4:30 PM, Saturday 7:45 AM - 12:00 PM |
| Results Include: | Phase I and II Titers and interpretations |
| Limitations: | The presence of antibodies specific to Coxiella burnetii indicate 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: | Quantitative detection of phase I and phase II Q Fever (Coxiella burnetii) antibodies |
| Regulatory Compliance: |
| CPT Code: | 86638x2 |
| Price: | $110.00 |
| Fee Exempt Eligible: | N |
| Billing and Revenue Office: | 1-800-862-1065 arbill@slh.wisc.edu |