Links of Interest

1. Acceptance of specimens from hospitals outside of UPMC
   1. Initial screening of the specimen (Is it appropriate? Has it been properly handled?) by personnel at the physician's hospital. This includes completion of a "Requisition Form."
   2. The physician or appropriate hospital personnel may contact virology lab personnel (telephone number 412-647-3726) and briefly outline the patient's history and tests that are being requested.
   3. The specimen(s) and requisitions(s) should be sent to UPMC using procedures described below. The following information must be provided:
      Patient's Name
      Social security number
      Birth date (age is acceptable)
      Diagnosis Code
      Type of specimen, date and time collected
      Patient's account number
      Ordering clinician's name
      Ordering clinician's page number and/or phone number
      Name(s) and address(es) where billing charges and
        results are to be sent
      

2. Choosing and handling of specimens:
   a. Specimens for virus or mycoplasma isolation should be collected as follows:
   Throat wash    The patient gargles with 10 ml of sterile balanced salt solution (Hank's or Earles BSS) or trypticase soy broth (TSB); expelled into a sterile container.
   Urine    Random clean-catch sample collected in a sterile container.
   Buffy coat     Collect 7 - 10 ml of blood in a Yellow ACD tube (Solution A or B). Bloods older than 48 hrs from time of collection to time of processing (9:00 am) will be rejected. See additional policy guidelines.
   NP Swab    Insert a flexible fine-shafted swab through the nostril into the nasopharynx and rotate swab gently a few times. Place into viral transport media
   Vesicle fluids     Either withdraw the vesicle fluid using a tuberculin syringe or swab the vesicle; place the fluid or swab in an M4 Culture Transport Tube or 1 ml of BSS or TSB; crusted, dry lesions are not vesicles and are not appropriate for virus isolation.
   Tissue    Collect aseptically and keep moist by placing in sterile container with 2 ml of BSS, TSB, saline or viral transport media.
   Stool    Approximately 5 gm of stool placed in a tightly capped container without preservatives. A swab covered with stool is acceptable for culture but not preferred. Swabs are UNACCEPTABLE for Clostridium difficile toxin.
   
   1. All specimens EXCEPT BLOOD (SEE PROCEDURE BELOW) should be tightly sealed, kept cold, and sent on wet ice or "cool pack" (NOT FROZEN) to the laboratory as soon as possible, preferably on the day of collection.

      Optimally specimens for cytomegalovirus (CMV) isolation should be sent as soon as possible to our laboratory. This virus is very heat labile and the probability of isolating it decreases rapidly with time.

      If absolutely necessary, all specimens EXCEPT blood (buffy coats) and those for CMV, RSV and VZ can be frozen at -50^oC or below (do not use -20^oC) and sent to the laboratory on dry ice.

   *NOTE: SPECIMENS RECEIVED AFTER 2 P.M. MAY NOT BE PROCESSED UNTIL THE NEXT DAY.

3. Transportation of specimens to UPMC:

   Unfortunately, UPMC does not have routine access to a courier service outside of UPMC for transportation of specimens. We therefore suggest that specimens be sent to UPMC by the best means available , depending on the type of specimen and the location of your hospital, e.g., private auto, taxi, express bus, air express, express couriers with guaranteed delivery times. If circumstances warrant, the specimen(s) from the patient can be collected at UPMC.

   Bloods older than 48 hrs from time of collection to time of processing (9:00 am) will be rejected.

   The cost for transporting specimens is the responsibility of the sender and all packages must be prepaid. Packages arriving with "bill recipient" will be refused.