Brucella Antibody
| WSLH Department: | CDD - Communicable Disease Division |
| WSLH Test Code: | SS02002 |
| Availability: | Test is performed weekly. |
| Turn-around Time: | 2-8 days |
| Recommended Uses: | To diagnose infection caused by B. abortus, B. melitensis, and B. suis in individuals with possible exposure. Brucellosis in humans has an insidious or abrupt onset, and no pathognomonic symptoms or signs; Isolation of these organisms could also be a safety hazard for certain labs; for these reasons, a serological test may be preferred over isolation of the organism. |
| Contraindications: | |
| Additional Tests Performed: |
| Patient Preparations: | Routine blood draw |
| Specimen Requirements: | minimum 0.5 ml serum |
| Specimen Handling & Transport: | Store serum specimen at 2-8 degrees C and transport with frozen cool pack. |
| Collection Kit/Container: |
Serology Specimens
Sterile Transfer Tube |
| Collection Instructions: | Routine blood draw |
| Unacceptable Conditions: | |
| 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. A single serum titer of greater than or equal to 1:160 is suggestive of brucellosis when accompanied by a compatible clinical illness in a patient with potential exposure. A titer of up to 1:80 can be seen in a normal population. Testing of acute and convalescent specimens is recommended for the laboratory diagnosis of brucellosis, with the convalescent specimen collected at least 2 weeks after the acute. In the absence of bacteriologic confirmation, high or a four-fold or greater change in antibody titer is considered a presumptive diagnosis. |
| Limitations: | The assay does not detect antibodies to B. canis or other rough types, such as the vaccine strain B. abortus RB51. Serology results should be interpreted in combination with other clinical, laboratory, and epidemiologic findings. Cross-reactions may occur with Francisella tularensis, Vibrio cholerae, Yersinia enterocolitica serotype O:9, Escherichia coli O:15, Afipia clevelandensis, and other antigenically related species. |
| Additional Tests Recommended: | Francisella tularensis serology (SS02023) and Brucella culture (MP00350) |
| Additional Comments: | Brucellosis is often related to occupational exposure. Serological results must be critically assessed along with clinical findings and occupational factors before a diagnosis is made. |
| Methodology: | Microagglutination |
| Includes: | Quantitative direct agglutination procedure for the detection of antibody to B. abortus, B. melitensis, and B. suis. |
| CPT Code: | 86622 |
| Price: | $81.00 |