Blood Parasites




Test Mnemonic

BLDPAR

CPT Codes

  • 87899 - QTY (1)
  • 87015 - QTY (1)
  • 87207 - QTY (1)
  • 87899 - QTY (1)

Aliases

  • Babesia smear
  • Binax NOW Enzyme Immunoassay (EIA)
  • Filariasis Smear
  • Malaria Smear
  • Microfilaria smear
  • Plasmodium smear
  • Trypanosomiasis Smear

Includes

  • Rapid EIA screen for Plasmodium sp.,
  • Giemsa stained thick and thin smears with follow up confirmation by a pathologist

Performing Laboratory

Cleveland Clinic Laboratories


Specimen Requirements

Volume Type Container Collect Temperature Transport Temperature Special Instructions
2 mLWhole bloodEDTA (Lavender) AmbientTransport to Main campus within 4 hrs. Use STAT courier when necessary. Rapid results can be critical to establishing appropriate therapy

Minimum Specimen Requirements

Volume Type Container Collect Temperature Transport Temperature Special Instructions
2 mL     

Stability

Environmental Condition Description
Ambient24 hours
Refrigerated24 hours
FrozenUnacceptable

Days Performed

Sun - Sat

Turnaround Time

2 days

Methodology

Name Description
Enzyme Immunoassay (EIA) 
Giemsa Stain 

Reference Range

Special Info

Indicate travel history on the requisition. Peripheral blood should be drawn prior to the onset of chills, if possible. Rapid results can be critical to establishing appropriate therapy. Order will include a rapid screening immunochromatographic assay, microscopy (thick and thin smears), and pathologist review of all microscopic results. Preliminary results will be reported within 24-48 hours. For positive smears, the percentage of parasitemia is calculated with an additional charge of CPT code 85032. All positive blood smears are reviewed by a medical director with CPT code 87207 applied.

Clinical Info

Test should be ordered to rule out parasitic infection due to Plasmodium species, Babesia, Trypanosomes, or Microfilaria. Limitation: One negative result does not rule out the possibility of parasitic infection.