Printable Test Catalog - OU Medicine

SPECIMEN REQUIRED: Refrigerated specimen
COLLECTION INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Pick freshest vesicle
2. Collect culture first, aspirate the fluid from the vesicle
into the tuberculin syringe and inject it into the cell
culture tubes. Obtain collection materials from Virology
M-F 7 am to 5 pm and Saturday 10 am to 12 pm.
3. Unroof vesicle with #15 Bard-Parker scalpel.
4. Scrape the base of the vesicle (obtain basal and parabasal
cells).
5. In the center of 2 glass slides smear the specimen in a
circular motion out to the size of a dime.
6. Air dry and transport to the lab immediately
If Virology is closed use following method for VZ culture only.
1. Unroof vesicle with #15 Bard-Parker scalpel.
2. Scrape the base of the vesicle (obtain basal and parabasal
cells) with a NP/male swab.
3. Break swab in to viral transport media.
4. Transport to the lab immediately
TUBE OR CONTAINER: Viral transport media
SPECIAL HANDLING: Call 271-3586 for collection materials and
questions about specimen collection
ORDERING MODULE: MIC
TEST INCLUDES: VZV FA and viral culture; if FA is positive,
culture is not performed
TEST AVAILABILITY: Monday-Saturday
TURNAROUND TIME: 24 hours
REFERENCE RANGE: Negative
METHODOLOGY: Direct fluorescent antibody (DFA)
CLINICAL USE: Rapid diagnosis of varicella-zoster virus
CPT: 87252; 87290
[VVZPCR] VARICELLA ZOSTER PCR
SPECIMEN REQUIREMENTS: 1ML OF CSF
SPECIMENS MUST BE SENT TO THE LAB IMMEDIATELY AND FROZEN
AT -70 C IN LESS THAN 6 HOURS OF COLLECTION.
[VVZSVI] VARICELLA ZOSTER SV + CULTURE
SPECIMEN REQUIRED:
1. Pick freshest vesicle
2. Collect culture first, aspirate the fluid from the vesicle
into the tuberculin syringe and inject it into the cell
culture tubes. Obtain collection materials from Virology
M-F 7 am to 5 pm and Saturday 10 am to 12 pm.
3. Unroof vesicle with #15 Bard-Parker scalpel.
4. Scrape the base of the vesicle (obtain basal and parabasal
cells).
5. In the center of 2 glass slides smear the specimen in a
circular motion out to the size of a dime.
6. Air dry and transport to the lab immediately. Keep
refrigerated.