ENTEROVIRUS PCR (QUALITATIVE)

​(a) Throat swab (within first week of illness): Use a Dacron-tipped swab and send in swab sheath without any media.

(b) CSF: At least 0.5 mL of undiluted sample. Send to the laboratory in a sterile, leakproof screw-capped container without any additives.

(c) Stool (after first week of illness): Collect at least a pea-size amount of stool and send to the laboratory in a sterile, leak-proof screw-capped container without any additives.

(d) Biopsy or tissue: Place a piece of FRESH sample of 5 x 5 x 5 mm directly in a sterile container.

​For detection of enteroviruses which may cause hand-foot-mouth-disease (HFMD), viral meningitis, viral peri-myocarditis or acute paralysis.

​Refrigerate sample until transfer to laboratory. Do not freeze. Send sample at 2 - 8°C (with an ice-pack). Sample must reach the laboratory within 24 hours after collection (preferably within 5 hours).

​Real-time reverse-transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (in-house) using pan-enterovirus primers detecting all known enterovirus serotypes including Enterovirus 68, Enterovirus 71, Coxsackieviruses A & B and Echoviruses.

​Detected, Not Detected or Inconclusive

​1 - 4 days; next working day (Monday-Friday) for CSF samples 

​Variable