SARS-CoV-2, Influenza A, Influenza B RT-PCR
Print
| WSLH Department: | CDD - Communicable Disease Division |
| WSLH Test Code: | VR01756 |
| Day(s) Performed: | Daily, Monday-Friday |
| Turn-around Time: | 1-3 business days |
| Recommended Uses: | Diagnosis of influenza A, influenza B and SARS-CoV-2 infection in symptomatic individuals. Test of choice for DHS-approved avian influenza suspects. Respiratory disease surveillance according to WSLH surveillance requests and determining the etiology of outbreaks at DHS request. |
| Pre-approval: | Yes - Testing is only available at WSLH request or DHS request. For DHS approval of a highly suspect avian influenza case, contact DHS at 608-267-9003 or after hours at 1-800-943-0003 (option 4) and ask for “the communicable disease epidemiologist on-call”. |
| Contraindications: | Not intended for routine testing. Specimens collected from non-respiratory sites will not be tested. |
| Additional Tests Performed: |
| Preparation for Collection: | Respiratory specimens should be collected as early as possible in the course of illness. The likelihood of recovering most viruses diminishes markedly >72 hours after symptom onset. |
| Specimen Requirements: | Preferred: Nasopharyngeal (NP) swab or Nasopharyngeal/oropharyngeal swab in viral transport media (VTM). Upper respiratory specimens are acceptable for testing, including: oropharyngeal swabs, Nasopharyngeal swabs, Nasopharyngeal/oropharyngeal swabs and nasal swabs. Upper respiratory swabs should be placed in VTM immediately after collection. Lower respiratory specimens are also acceptable for testing, including: respiratory tract aspirates, bronchoalveolar lavage, nasopharyngeal wash/aspirate and nasal aspirates. A conjunctival swab may be collected from DHS-approved avian influenza suspects exhibiting conjunctivitis. A conjunctival swab MUST be paired with an NP or NP/OP swab (in a separate tube of VTM). Minimum volume for testing is 1 mL. Store specimens refrigerated (2-8 °C) and ship specimens to WSLH immediately. Alternately, freeze samples (<-70 °C) within 72 hours from collection. Specimens received at the WSLH >72 hours after collection may be unacceptable for influenza A subtyping. |
| Collection Instructions: | Upper respiratory specimens should be collected with a Dacron or polyester swab and placed in Viral Transport Medium (VTM) or Universal Transport Medium (UTM). Lower respiratory specimens should be placed in a sterile, labeled vial. Detailed instructions for the collection of respiratory specimens can be found here: https://www.cdc.gov/covid/hcp/clinical-care/clinical-specimen-guidelines.html |
| Collection Kit/Container: |
|
| Requisition Form: |
Specific forms available from WSLH depending on surveillance or DHS-approved investigations. Call WSLH Customer Service at 800-862-1013 for appropriate form. |
| Required Information: | Please include any relevant exposures or risk factors on the requisition form, including: avian, bovine or swine exposure, hospitalization status, travel history, and if the specimen is an influenza A positive that you are unable to subtype (if subtyping was attempted). 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: | Improper specimen type (e.g. buccal swab). Specimens collected with an unacceptable swab type (e.g. cotton or calcium alginate swabs or swabs with wooden sticks). Dry swabs, or swabs placed in unacceptable transport media (e.g. Amies media). Specimens stored at 2-8 °C for >9 days. Specimens transported without proper coolant. |
| Specimen Handling: | Transport specimens at 2-8 °C with a frozen cold pack. If specimens are frozen (-70°C), package ship on dry ice. |
| Packaging Requirements: | |
| Courier Information: | This test is eligible for fee-exempt courier service. Contact Purple Mountain Dispatch at 800-990-9668 for specimen pickup. |
| Specimen Receiving Hours: | Monday-Friday 7:45 AM - 4:30 PM, Saturday 7:45 AM - 12:00 PM |
| Results Include: | Influenza A RNA Detected, Influenza B RNA detected, SARS-CoV-2 RNA Detected, No Influenza A RNA detected, No Influenza B RNA detected, No SARS-CoV-2 RNA detected, Inconclusive, Invalid |
| Limitations: | Negative results do not preclude influenza or SARS-CoV-2 virus infection and should not be used as the sole basis for treatment or other patient management decisions. |
| Additional Tests Recommended: | Respiratory pathogen panel VR01752 (DHS approval required) |
| Additional Comments: |
| Methodology: | Real-Time RT-PCR |
| Includes: | SARS-CoV-2, Influenza A, and Influenza B RT-PCR If positive for influenza A RNA, influenza A seasonal subtyping (H1 and H3) PCR will be performed on this specimen. If positive for influenza A RNA and negative for all seasonal subtyping PCR markers, then this specimen may be tested for avian influenza subtyping markers (H5), depending on epidemiologic risk factors. |
| Regulatory Compliance: |
| CPT Code: | 87636x2 |
| Price: | $116.00 |
| Fee Exempt Eligible: | Yes – Testing is only available at WSLH request or DHS request. For DHS approval of a highly suspect avian influenza case, contact DHS at 608-267-9003 or after hours at 1-800-943-0003 (option 4) and ask for “the communicable disease epidemiologist on-call”. |
| Billing and Revenue Office: | 1-800-862-1065 arbill@slh.wisc.edu |