Human Herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6A and HHV-6B) by Quantitative PCR




Test Mnemonic

HHV6QT

CPT Codes

  • 87533 - QTY (1)

Performing Laboratory

ARUP


Specimen Requirements

Volume Type Container Collect Temperature Transport Temperature Special Instructions
1 mLPlasmaEDTA (Lavender) FrozenSeparate 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 mLSerumSST (Gold) FrozenSeparate serum from cells and transfer into a sterile aliquot tube. Must indicate specimen source.
1 mLCerebrospinal fluid (CSF)Sterile container FrozenMust indicate specimen source.

Minimum Specimen Requirements

Volume Type Container Collect Temperature Transport Temperature Special Instructions
0.5 mL     

Stability

Environmental Condition Description
Frozen3 months
Refrigerated5 days
Ambient24 hours

Days Performed

Tue - Sat

Turnaround Time

2 - 5 days

Methodology

Name Description
Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), Quant 

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 3.0-6.0 log copies/mL (1,000-999,000 copies/mL). A negative result (< 3.0 log copies/mL or < 1,000 copies/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 test. Inhibition may also lead to underestimation of viral quantitation. There is no international standard currently available for calibration of this test. Caution should be taken when interpreting results generated by different methodologies. The limit of quantification for this DNA assay is 3.0 log copies/mL (1,000 copies/mL). If the assay did NOT detect the virus, the test result will be reported as "<3.0 log copies/mL (<1,000 copies/mL)." 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 reported as "Not Quantified."