Acute Measles Panel, IgM Antibody and PCR

Serum and throat or NP swab

1 mL serum and 1 swab

0.5 mL serum and 1 swab (Note: This volume does not allow for repeat testing.)

Serum: gel-barrier tube, red-top tube or transfer tube

Swab: Viral Transport Media (VTM) or Universal Transport Media (UTM)

Serum: If tube other than a gel-barrier tube is used, transfer serum to a plastic transport tube.

Swab: Throat specimen (preferred): Collect the specimen by swabbing the posterior pharynx. Nasopharyngeal swab: Collect the NP swab using standard techniques.

Refrigerate.

Improperly submitted specimens; grossly hemolyzed, lipemic and icteric samples; heat-inactivated samples; samples with visible particulate matter or gross bacterial contamination; specimen not received in an approved VTM/UTM; swabs received in Liquid Amies (E-Swabs) or other bacterial swabs; specimens received without a swab; grossly leaking specimens; specimens received outside the stated stability

This test is used as a guideline-aligned laboratory diagnosis of acute measles virus infection in patients presenting with febrile rash illness and clinically compatible measles symptoms.

A negative test does not rule out infection with measles virus. Results should be interpreted in conjunction with clinical finding.

The absence of IgM-class antibodies suggests lack of an acute phase infection with measles virus. However, serology may be negative for IgM-class antibodies in early disease, and results should be interpreted in the context of clinical findings.

Testing for IgM-class antibodies to measles should be limited to patients with clinically compatible disease. Specimens should be collected as soon as possible after the development of rash to maximize the sensitivity of measles RNA detection.

Improperly collected samples may result in false negative results.

PCR assays may be impacted by viral variants and may result in reduced sensitivity or false negative results.

The Measles PCR was developed and its performance characteristics determined by Labcorp. It has not been cleared or approved by the Food and Drug Administration.

Chemiluminescence immunoassay (CLIA) and Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)

Clinical Overview of Measles. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website: https://www.cdc.gov/measles/hcp/clinical-overview/index.html#cdc_clinical_overview_test_dia-diagnosis-and-laboratory-testing. Updated July 15, 2024. Accessed October 2024.