Laboratory
Support
Specimen
Collection
Collection procedures
for vaccinia virus, in the evaluation of an adverse reaction to
vaccination, or variola virus, in the evaluation of a potential
smallpox case, are essentially identical.
Usual
practices associated with collection of patient specimens are appropriate
for collection of orthopoxvirus lesions, as well. These include
wearing personal protective equipment, such as gloves, and sanitizing
the site prior to collection. If alcohol is used to prepare the
lesion for collection, it is important to allow the lesion to dry
before it is collected.
Examples of
lab materials useful for collection of orthopox specimens for laboratory
testing includes:
- Plastic specimen
container with formalin for the lesion biopsy.
- Punch biopsy
collection tool.
- Sterile plastic
vials for specimens (without any viral culture medium or fluid).
- Microscope
slides and slide storage container
If available,
electron micrscopy (EM) grids are also useful for specimen collection
and make EM examination of materials for the presence of orthopoxvirus
particles easier.
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