Varicella-Zoster Virus from Blood, CSF or Body Fluid by PCR VZPCR
| Method(s) | Qualitative Polymerase Chain Reaction |
|---|---|
| Specimen Required | |
| Collect | One 3 mL lavender (EDTA), pink (K2EDTA) or gold (SST) top tube OR CSF, ocular fluid, tissue or vesicle fluid. |
| Transport | 1 mL serum, plasma, CSF or ocular fluid in sterile container (Min: 0.5 mL). Tissue: Transfer to a sterile container and freeze immediately. Vesicle Fluid: Transfer to viral transport media. |
| Remarks | Specimen source required. |
| Stability | Tissue: Ambient: Unacceptable; Refrigerated: Unacceptable; Frozen: 3 months. All others: Ambient: 24 hours; Refrigerated: 5 days; Frozen: 3 months |
| Unacceptable Conditions | Heparinized specimens. |
| Schedule | Daily |
| Billing Code | 5010750 |
| CPTCode | 87798 |
| Preferred Specimen Collection Device(s) | |
| Reference Interval | |
|
Negative - Varicella-zoster virus DNA not detected by PCR. |
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