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Specimen Collection Manual and Test Catalog

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TROPHERYMA WHIPPLEI DNA QUAL, REAL-TIME PCR

Geisinger Epic Procedure Code:  LAB3199    Geisinger Epic ID:  49382

SPECIMEN COLLECTION
Specimen type: 

Whole blood or CSF


Preferred collection container: 
Alternate collection container: 
Sterile screw-cap tube
Specimen required: 

0.7 mL whole blood collected in EDTA (lavender-top) tube or 0.7 mL CSF submitted in a sterile, plastic, leak-proof CSF container. Minimum 0.3 mL blood or CSF



SPECIMEN PROCESSING
Transport temperature: 

Refrigerated.


Specimen stability: 

Room temperature: 48 hours. Refrigerated: 7 days. Frozen: CSF only- 30 days.


Rejection criteria: 

Frozen whole blood.



TEST DETAILS
CPT code(s):  87798
Note: The billing party has sole responsibility for CPT coding.  Any questions regarding coding should be directed to the payer being billed.
The CPT codes provided by GML are based on AMA guidelines and are for informational purposes only.

Methodology: 
Real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)
Synonyms: 

Quest test code11352, Whipple's Disease


Clinical significance: 

Tropheryma whipplei (Whipple's disease) DNA, PCR is a highly sensitive and specific method to detect the presence of Tropheryma whipplei DNA in clinical specimens. The diagnosis of Tropheryma whipplei infection should not rely solely upon the result of a PCR assay. A positive result should be considered in conjunction with clinical presentation and additional established clinical tests. Moreover, this assay cannot differentiate between viable and nonviable organisms. A negative PCR result indicates the absence of Tropheryma whipplei DNA at detectable levels in the samples tested and does not exclude the diagnosis of disease.


Review Date:  12/16/2024

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