Human Herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6A and HHV-6B) by Quantitative PCR
Test Mnemonic
HHV6QT
CPT Codes
- 87533 - QTY (1)
Includes
- HHV6 Quant by PCR (copy/mL)
- HHV6 Quant by PCR (log copy/mL)
- HHV6 Quant by PCR (log IU/mL)
- HHV6 Quant by PCR (IU/mL)
Performing Laboratory
ARUP
Specimen Requirements
| Volume | Type | Container | Collect Temperature | Transport Temperature | Special Instructions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 mL | Plasma | EDTA (Lavender) | Frozen | Separate plasma from cells and transfer into a sterile aliquot tube. Must indicate specimen source. |
Alternate Specimen Requirements
| Volume | Type | Container | Collect Temperature | Transport Temperature | Special Instructions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 mL | Serum | SST (Gold) | Frozen | Separate serum from cells and transfer into a sterile aliquot tube. Must indicate specimen source. | |
| 1 mL | Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) | Sterile container | Frozen | Must indicate specimen source. |
Minimum Specimen Requirements
| Volume | Type | Container | Collect Temperature | Transport Temperature | Special Instructions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.5 mL |
Stability
| Environmental Condition | Description |
|---|---|
| Frozen | 3 months |
| Refrigerated | 5 days |
| Ambient | 24 hours |
Days Performed
Tue - Sat
Turnaround Time
2 - 5 days
Methodology
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), Quant |
Reference Range
Special Info
Specimen source is required. Heparinized specimens will be rejected. This test is New York DOH approved.
Clinical Info
Useful for detecting and quantifying HHV6 subtypes A and B in immunocompromised patients. The quantitative range of this assay is 2.7-6.7 log copies/mL (500-5,000,000 copies/mL) or 3.1-7.1 log IU/mL (1250-12,500,000 IU/mL). 1 copies/mL is approximately 2.5 IU/mL. A negative result (< 2.7 log copies/mL or < 500 copies/mL; < 3.1 log IU/mL or < 1250 IU/mL) does not rule out the presence of PCR inhibitors in the patient specimen or HHV6 DNA in concentrations below the level of detection of the assay. Inhibition may also lead to underestimation of viral quantitation.
Clinical Limitation
If the assay Detected the presence of the virus but was not able to accurately quantify the number of copies, the test result will be report as "Not Quantified"