MERS lab specimen guidelines
- Region:
- Los Angeles County
- Source:
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) , Los Angeles County Public Health Laboratory (LACDPHL)
- Resource Updated:
- Jun. 01, 2015
About this Resource
Guidelines for collecting, handling, and testing clinical specimens from patients under investigation for Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) coronavirus.
Audience
Clinicians and laboratories collecting, handling and testing clinical specimens for Persons Under Investigation for MERS
Key Takeaways
- Contact local health department to discuss MERS-CoV testing for any PUIs
- Types of specimens to collect: recommendation to collect lower respiratory, upper respiratory and serum specimens for testing
- Guidelines for collecting the three specimen types
- Guidelines for shipping the specimens
- Recommendation to test for other respiratory pathogens concurrently with the MERS-CoV test to identify possible alternative diagnoses