How labs test for Ebola | Modern Healthcare: As medical professionals prepare for the possible spread of the Ebola virus, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released interim guidance (PDF) this week for the handling of specimens tested for the deadly illness.
The highly structured process for testing an individual for Ebola starts in the hospital, where staff must draw a minimum volume of 4 milliliters of whole blood from the patient for testing, according to the CDC. The specimen must be preserved with some type of agent—EDTA, or ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, is preferred, though other options exist.
Unlike many specimens sent for diagnostics, blood tested for Ebola cannot be transported through a hospital's pneumatic tube system. Doing so would risk aerosolizing the virus. Specimens must be transported by hand to laboratory transportation, said Dr. Kristi Koenig, director of the Center for Disaster Medical Sciences at the University of California Irvine and spokeswoman for the American College of Emergency Physicians.
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