Clinical Specimens
Clinical specimens for viral isolation are often helpful to confirm a positive serum result and for viral surveillance of rubella genotypes.
| Specimen type: | Throat swab (Oropharyngeal swab). This is the preferred sample for rubella virus. |
|---|---|
| Collection procedure: | Use a cotton/dacron swabs to collect the specimen. Swab the posterior pharynx and tonsillar areas, avoiding the tongue (tongue depressor may be helpful). The mucosa behind the uvula and between the tonsils should be gently swabbed with a back-and-forth motion. Keeping swabs moist after collection is most important (see transportation below). |
| Optimum collection time: | Collect at first contact. Virus can usually be detected 2-3 days before rash and up to about 14 days post rash. The optimal timing for virus isolation is day of rash through day 5 post rash. |
| Transportation container: | Place swab in 3-4 ml Viral Transport Media (VTM). Any sterile isotonic fluid, like phosphate buffered saline (PBS) or common
tissue culture medium like Eagle’s MEM can be used. Swabs may be broken off and shipped with media. Alternatively, swirl/agitate the swab
in the media for several minutes before removal. Commercially available kits containing swabs and viral transport media are acceptable. |
| Volume: | 3-4 ml of VTM. |
| Transport: | Cold, with ice packs. Should be received at the lab within 48 hours of collection. If shipment is delayed and facilities are available, the specimens should be frozen at –70 C and shipped on dry ice. Otherwise, store specimens in refrigerator (freezing at -20 C reduces viability of virus). |
| Specimen type: | Nasopharyngeal (NP) swab. An NP swab can be collected in addition to a throat swab or can serve as an alternative specimen for infants with CRS. The NP swab can also be pooled with a throat swab or shipped separately. |
|---|---|
| Collection procedure: | Use a cotton/dacron swab to collect the specimen. Insert sterile swab into nasopharynx, rotate and remove. Keeping swabs moist after collection is most important (see transportation below.) |
| Transportation container: | Place swab in 3-4 ml Viral Transport Media (VTM). Any sterile isotonic fluid, like phosphate buffered saline (PBS) or common tissue medium like Eagle’s MEM can be used. Swabs may be broken off and shipped with media. Alternatively, swirl/agitate the swab in the media for several minutes before removal. Commercially available kits containing swabs and viral transport media are acceptable |
| Volume: | 3-4 ml of VTM. |
| Transport: | As above for oropharyngeal specimens. |
| Specimen type: | Urine. (Throat or NP specimens have higher rate of rubella virus recovery than urine.) |
|---|---|
| Collection procedure: | Collect clean void, first morning if possible. |
| Optimum collection time: | As above. |
| Transportation container: | Sterile plastic leak-proof container. |
| Volume: | 10ml |
| Transport: | Cold, on ice packs. |
Ship to:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
DASH/ Unit 81 Att: Dr. Icenogle
1600 Clifton Road NE
Atlanta, GA 30333
Tel 404-639-3512 or -1156
This page last modified on January 9, 2004
Content last reviewed on January 9, 2004
Content Source: National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases
Content last reviewed on January 9, 2004
Content Source: National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases