Bartonella quintana Antibodies, IgG & IgM




Test Mnemonic

BARQAB

CPT Codes

  • 86611 - QTY (2)

Aliases

  • Trench Fever

Includes

  • Bartonella quintana Antibody, IgG
  • Bartonella quintana Antibody, IgM

Performing Laboratory

ARUP


Specimen Requirements

Volume Type Container Collect Temperature Transport Temperature Special Instructions
1 mLSerumSST (Gold) RefrigeratedSeparate serum from cells ASAP or within 2 hours of collection and transfer into a standard aliquot tube. Parallel testing is preferred, and convalescent specimens must be received within 30 days from receipt of the acute specimens. Label specimens plainly as 'acute' or 'convalescent.'

Minimum Specimen Requirements

Volume Type Container Collect Temperature Transport Temperature Special Instructions
0.4 mL     

Stability

Environmental Condition Description
AmbientAfter separation from cells: 48 hours
RefrigeratedAfter separation from cells: 2 weeks
FrozenAfter separation from cells: 1 year (avoid repeated freeze/thaw cycles)

Days Performed

Mon, Thu

Turnaround Time

2 - 9 days

Methodology

Name Description
Indirect Fluorescent Antibody (IFA) 

Reference Range

B. quintana IgG Ab
Sex Age From Age To Type Range Range Unit
       Negative: <1:64 - No significant level of Bartonella quintana IgG antibody detected 
       Equivocal: 1:64 - 1:128 - Questionable presence of Bartonella quintana IgG antibody detected. Repeat testing in 10-14 days may be helpful 
       Positive: >=1:256 - Presence of IgG antibody to Bartonella quintana detected, suggestive of current or past infection 
B. quintana IgM Ab
Sex Age From Age To Type Range Range Unit
       Negative: <1:16 - No significant level of Bartonella quintana IgM antibody detected 
       Positive: >=1:16 - Presence of IgM antibody to Bartonella quintana detected, suggestive of current or recent infection 

Special Info

Parallel testing is preferred and convalescent specimens must be received within 30 days from receipt of the acute specimens. Label specimens plainly as 'acute' or 'convalescent.' Hemolyzed, contaminated, or severely lipemic specimens will be rejected. This test is New York DOH approved.

Clinical Info

A low positive result suggests past exposure or infection, while a high positive result may indicate recent or current infection, but is inconclusive for diagnosis. Seroconversion between acute and convalescent sera is considered strong evidence of recent infection. the best evidence for infection is a significant change on two appropriately timed specimens where both tests are done in the same laboratory at the same time, The presence of IgM antibodies suggests recent infection. Low levels of IgM antibodies may occasionally persist for more than 12 months post-infection.