Pre-Approvalā
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Prior approval is required to ship these samples for testing.
Pre-approval is
required of any novel/avian influenza test requests
prior to specimens being sent to VRDL for testing. VRDL will not test unapproved suspect Novel/Avian Influenza specimens. Contact your
local public health department and CDPH (CLSH5FluANotification@cdph.ca.govāā) for pre-approval information.
Submitters
must coordinate deliveries with VRDL (VRDL.submittal@cdph.ca.gov) before shipping. VRDL will not test any suspect Novel/Avian Influenza specimens that are received without prior coordination and tracking information.ā
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Pre-Approval Supplemental Information Requested
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Please include in pre-approval request and on VRDL submittal forms:
- Any potential exposure to wild and domestic animals, including pets (e.g., cats), and animal products (e.g., poultry, dairy cows, raw cow milk and raw cow milk products, raw meat-based pet food), or recent close contact with a symptomatic person with a probable or confirmed case of Influenza A(H5)
- If no known exposure history, please indicate that as wellā
- Symptoms
- Date of illness onset
- County of residence
- āName and phone number of any initial testing laboratories
- āPlease include any real-time RT-PCR Ct values
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Submittal Form
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Specimens must be accompanied with a hard copy of the completed āVRDL General Purpose Specimen Submittal Formāā (PDF) or a form generated in the VRDL Lab Web Portalā. |
Methodology (Commercial Test Name or Laboratory Developed Test (LDT)) |
Real-time RT-PCR (CDC) (Diagnostic)
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Reflex Testing Available
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- āāSeasonal Influenza A subtyping: A(H1)pdm09 and A(H3)
- Novel Influenza: A(H5) and A(H7)
- āPositive specimens will be sent to CDC for confirmatory testing
- Influenza B typing and Influenza B Lineage Genotyping
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Acceptable Specimen Type(s) and Collection Method |
Human specimens: For individuals that meet clinical and epidemiologic criteria for influenza A(H5N1) with:
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āRespiratory illness: the following specimens should be collected
- A nasal (NS) swab*
- An oropharyngeal (OP) swabāāā*
- A nasopharyngeal (NP) swab
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āāConjunctivitis: the following specimens should be collected with or without respiratory symptoms
- A conjunctival (CS) swab,** and
- A nasal (NS) and oropharyngeal (OS) swab* and/or a nasopharyngeal (NP) swab
For all swab specimens, only swabs with a synthetic tip, such as nylon or Dacron and either aluminum or plastic shafts are acceptable for testing at the VRDL. We
cannot accept cotton swabs with a wooden shaft.ā
*NS and OP swabs may be combined into one vial with 2ā3 mL of either Viral Transport Medium (VTM) or Universal Transport Medium (UTM)
**If conjunctivitis is present in both eyes, collect separate swabs from each eye and combine the swabs in a single transport media vial with either VTM or UTM
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Minimum Volume Requestedā
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Place swab specimens in 2ā3 mL of Viral Transport Medium (VTM) or Universal Transport Medium (UTM)
- NS and OP swabs may be combined into one vial with 2ā3 mL of either VTM or UTM
- āSeparateā CS swabs from each eye may be combined in a single transport media vial with either VTM or UTM
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Transport Medium (if using) |
Viral Transport Medium or Universal Transport Medium
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Specimen Labeling |
Each specimen tube must be labeled with at least two unique patient identifiers, e.g., patient full name and date of birth. |
Storage & Preservation of Specimen / Shipping Conditions
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- Freeze or refrigerate specimens after collection.
Ship refrigerated specimens to VRDL on cold packs. Ship frozen specimens to VRDL on dry ice.
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Shipping Instructions
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āWork with your local public health department to ensure samples are packaged according to instructions for Biological Substance ā Category B (UN 3373) shipment.
Ship specimens overnight (Monday though Thursday) and a hard copy of the completed submittal forms to:
āCDPH VRDL
ATTN: Specimen Receiving
850 Marina Bay Parkway Richmond, CA 94804
Phone: 510-307-8585
For urgent test requests after hours, please contact the VRDL Points of Contact listed below.
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āTurnaround Time
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2 Business Days
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āāLimitations
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āLow viral load or co-infections may affect test results.
Calcium alginate swabs are unacceptable and cotton swabs with wooden shafts are unacceptable because they may cause false-negative results.
āāNegative results do not preclude the possibility of influenza virus infection.ā
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āAdditional Information
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Specimens should be collected as close to illness onset as possible.ā
āPlease visit our ā CDPH
Human Avian Influenza A(H5N1) Quicksheetā (PDF) for more information.ā
CDC resources:
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āVRDL Points of Contact
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VRDL Testing Coordinator: Alice Chen alice.chen@cdph.ca.gov (510) 307-8585
VRDL āMedical and Epidemiology Liaisons: (510) 307-8585 or VRDL.submittal@cdph.ca.gov
CDPH Center for Laboratory Sciences: CLSH5FluANotification@cdph.ca.govā
āAfter Hours CDPH Duty Officer: (916) 328-3605
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