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Test Order
Test Order
Bordetella species Study CDC-10167
Synonym(s)
Bordetella pertussis, B. parapertussis, B. holmesii, B. bronchiseptica, whooping cough, pertussis
CDC Pre-Approval Needed
Supplemental Information Required
Provide the following Patient and Specimen Information on the CDC 50.34 Specimen Submission Form: patient age, onset of cough, recent antibiotic history and pertussis-containing vaccine status.
Supplemental Form
None
Performed on Specimens from
Human
Acceptable Sample/ Specimen Type for Testing
For isolation and/or PCR: Nasopharyngeal swabs or nasopharyngeal aspirates; calcium alginate and cotton swabs are not acceptable.
For isolate confirmation: Pure culture isolates or cryopreserved isolates.
For PCR only: Extracted DNA.
Minimum Volume Required
0.5 mL nasopharyngeal aspirates; 0.2 mL DNA; 0.5 mL preferred
Collection, Storage, and Preservation of Specimen Prior to Shipping
Swabs for culture and PCR: Nasopharyngeal swabs should be polyester, rayon or nylon. Swabs should be placed in tubes of Regan-Lowe transport medium and kept refrigerated at 4 °C until shipment.
Nasopharyngeal aspirates for culture and PCR: Nasopharyngeal aspirates should be in leak-proof plastic tubes. Aspirates should be kept refrigerated at 4 °C if shipped within 72 hours of collection; otherwise, aspirates should be kept frozen at -20 °C.
Swabs for PCR only: Nasopharyngeal swabs should be polyester, rayon or nylon. Swabs should be placed in dry, sterile tubes. Swabs in universal transport medium are also acceptable. All swabs should be kept refrigerated at 4 °C if shipped within 72 hours of collection; otherwise, swabs should be kept frozen at -20 °C.
Isolates: Isolates can be frozen at -70 °C in cryopreservation medium or kept refrigerated at 4 °C on Regan-Lowe, Bordet-Gengou, charcoal agar or blood agar (B. parapertussis, B. holmesii, or B. bronchiseptica only) slants.
DNA: DNA extracted from nasopharyngeal specimens should be in leak-proof plastic tubes. DNA should be kept frozen at -20 °C.
Transport Medium
Regan-Lowe transport medium is recommended for specimens for culture. Amies Charcoal transports are acceptable, but may decrease the probability of isolation. Specimens in Regan-Lowe can be tested by both culture and PCR.
Isolates can be frozen at -70 °C in cryopreservation medium; for best results a fresh subculture on Regan-Lowe, Bordet-Gengou, charcoal agar or blood agar (B. parapertussis, B. holmesii, or B. bronchiseptica only) slant should be sent.
Dry swabs in sterile tubes are preferred for PCR; if only one swab is collected for both culture and PCR, the swabs should be sent in Regan-Lowe transport as described previously.
Specimen Labeling
Research or surveillance specimens may be labeled according to protocol. Labels should not include personally identifiable information. The results reported should NOT be used for diagnosis, treatment, assessment of health or management of the individual patient.
Shipping Instructions which Include Specimen Handling Requirements
For best results, specimens should be shipped within 24-48 hours of collection. Specimens refrigerated (isolates on slants, nasopharyngeal swabs in transports, nasopharyngeal aspirates) should be shipped overnight on gel ice-packs. Specimens frozen (cryopreserved isolates, nasopharyngeal aspirates and swabs, and extracted DNA) should be shipped overnight on dry ice.
CDC does not accept routine shipments on weekends or holidays. Please make sure packages arrive Monday - Friday.
Ship to:
<Insert CDC Point of Contact>
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
RDSB/STATT Unit 12
1600 Clifton Road, NE
Atlanta, GA 30329
<Insert CDC Point of Contact's Telephone Number>
All samples must be shipped in accordance with all applicable local, state and federal regulations. Upon shipment, submitter should send an email to the CDC POC providing shipping company, shipped date and package tracking number.
Sender is responsible for shipping charges. International submitters must request CDC's import permit and include this with the Air Waybill.
Methodology
Culture, Multi-target Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), Whole Genome Sequencing, Pulsed-Field Gel Electrophoresis, Multi-Locus Sequence Typing, Antibiotic Susceptibility, Antigen Testing
Turnaround Time
Interferences & Limitations
Prior antibiotic treatment will adversely affect culture and PCR results. Whenever possible, specimens collected prior to administration of antimicrobial agents should be used to determine infection with Bordetella spp. Patients coughing more than two weeks will likely not be culture positive. Specimens collected from patients with more than 4 weeks of cough are not appropriate for culture or PCR. Specimens should not be tested if they have incurred more than 2 freeze-thaw cycles.
Additional Information
None
CDC Points of Contact
Version
3.2
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