An official website of the United States government
Test Order
Test Order
Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 (HIV-1) Nucleic Acid Testing and Sequence Analysis
CDC-10533
Synonym(s)
HIV-1
CDC Pre-Approval Needed
Supplemental Information Required
A separate form for additional information will be provided after the test request is approved.
Supplemental Form
None
Performed on Specimens from
Human
Acceptable Sample/ Specimen Type for Testing
Serum, plasma or whole blood
Minimum Volume Required
1 mL plasma or serum; 10 mL whole blood
Collection, Storage, and Preservation of Specimen Prior to Shipping
Specimen stability is affected by elevated temperature. Whole blood should not be frozen but can be kept at 15-30 °C for up to 6 hours or at 2-8 °C for up to 24 hours prior to shipping. Plasma and serum specimens may be stored an additional five days at 2 °C to 8 °C following centrifugation. Plasma and serum specimens may be stored at less than or equal to -20 °C for up to 6 months; however, storage at these temperatures for longer periods has not been fully evaluated.
Whole blood specimens may be collected in ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) or Acid Citrate Dextrose (ACD) tubes. Plasma can be collected using plasma preparation tubes (PPT) or EDTA or ACD. Serum can be collected in serum tubes. Follow sample tube manufacturer's instructions. Shipping of specimens the same day of collection is preferred.
Transport Medium
Not Applicable
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.
Identifiers must be clearly labeled on each specimen and correspond to information on the requisition form.
Identifiers must be clearly labeled on each specimen and correspond to information on the requisition form.
Shipping Instructions which Include Specimen Handling Requirements
Ship unprocessed whole blood specimens overnight for next morning delivery at ambient temperature. Shipping of whole blood specimens overnight on wet ice packs is acceptable during periods of high environmental tempartures. If serum or plasma is collected, these specimens should be shipped frozen 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 227
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.
Methodology
Nucleic acid (DNA and RNA) amplification and sequence analysis
Turnaround Time
3 Weeks
Interferences & Limitations
Collections in heparin coated tubes are unacceptable due to heparin interference with nucleic acid amplification. Specimen will be rejected if improperly labeled or unlabeled, or with discrepant documentation, insufficient volume, without documentation, unacceptable preservatives, and specimen that have leaked in transit or otherwise shown evidence of contamination.
Additional Information
For RNA testing, separate the plasma or serum by centrifugation and transfer serum or plasma to a polypropylene screw-cap tube with an O-ring for shipment. Freeze (-70 °C is optimal, -20 °C acceptable) sera/plasma as soon as possible after separation (min volume of 1mL of plasma/sera is required, 5 mLs is optimal).
CDC Points of Contact
Version
1.3
Content Credential