Arbovirus (West Nile Virus)
Clinical Specimen Submission Guidance
Submit all specimens to 50 Orms St, Providence RI 02904. Open Monday to Friday 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM
STI & Arbovirus Laboratory 401-222-5591
West Nile Virus
West Nile Virus
An enzyme-linked immunosorbent capture assay to detect IgM antibodies to West Nile Virus.
All other requests for arbovirus testing are sent to CDC.
Consult with the RIDOH Center for Acute Infectious Disease Epidemiology (401) 222-2577 for approval prior to transporting specimens.
Serum: minimum 5 mL collected in red top tube
Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF): minimum 2 mL collected aseptically.
Acute serum and CSF should be collected within the first 14 days following onset of symptoms.
Refrigerate at 2° - 8° C
Virus isolation and/or nucleic amplification testing, acceptable specimens are fresh frozen tissue, serum, or cerebrospinal fluid. Tissue specimens should be approximately 1 x 3 cm, frozen as soon as possible at -70° C
CLIA regulations require specimens be labeled with at least two patient identifiers. Examples of identifiers are first and last name, date of birth, chart/medical record number. The specimen container must be labeled to match the test requisition or the electronic order.
Rhode Island State Health Laboratories (RISHL) Test Requisition https://health.ri.gov/forms/LabRequisitionForm.pdf
Write "WNV" under Comments/Other test requests
Refrigerated: Transport and deliver to the laboratory within 48 hours of collection at 2-8°C in a cooler able to maintain specimen temperature. A plug-in electric cooler is recommended, however, a cooler packed with excess frozen gel packs is acceptable as long as the transport temperature is maintained at 2-8°C.
Frozen: If specimen previously frozen, it must be transported on frozen gel packs in insulated shipper.
Specimens must be transported and packaged in accordance with current federal shipping regulations.
Non-Hemolyzed
Negative
Providers must report patient information on West Nile Virus immediately using the RIDOH reportable disease form.
WNV: 5 Business Days
Confirmation testing performed at CDC
Containers specifically labeled for transport of specimens to the RISHL STI & Arbovirus Laboratory are available in all Serology Laboratories and Laboratory Sendout Departments.