Respiratory Specimens
Ante-mortem:
A nasopharyngeal swab, wash, or aspirate is an
acceptable specimen for PCR testing. Oropharyngeal (throat) swabs
are also acceptable, but may not have as high of a yield. If oropharyngeal
specimens are collected, they should be accompanied by a specimen from the nasal
cavity.
Post-mortem:
Suitable specimens include swabs of the lung, bronchi,
or respiratory pathway. Pleural fluid is also an acceptable
specimen.
Specimen Storage:
Only swabs composed of synthetic fibers (e.g. rayon,
nylon, dacron) should be used to collect samples. The swabs should
be placed in a standard container with 2-3 ml of VTM or similar media approved
for viruses. The specimens should be kept refrigerated at 4 ĀŗC
after innoculation. If there will be prolonged specimen storage
(>5 days), then the specimen should ideally be frozen at -70 ĀŗC or
below.