Quantiferon Tb Gold

LAB10063

Quantiferon Collection Kit

0.8 mL in each tube

1. For each patient, collect 1 mL of blood by venipuncture directly into each of the three (3) unique QuantiFERON-TB Gold IT blood collection tubes. Tubes must be at room temperature prior to collection. Under or overfilling of the tubes may lead to erroneous results. 2. Shake them ten (10) times just firmly enough to ensure the entire surface of the tube is coated with blood, to solubilize antigens on tube walls. 3. Incubate the three (3) tubes upright at 36-38° C within 16 hours for 16 to 24 hours. The specimen rack should sit off the floor of the incubator. If the blood is not incubated immediately after collection, remixing of the tubes by inverting 10 times must be repeated immediately prior to incubation. 4. Following incubation either:     A.  Immediately transport the three (3) transport tubes to Quest Diagnostics between 4 and 27° C. Samples will be stable for 72 hours at 4-27° C (room temperature or refrigerated). --or--     B. Centrifuge each of the three (3) incubated collection tubes for 15 minutes at 2000-3000 RCF(G). Label with patient name, identification number, and date of collection. Deliver to Quest Diagnostics at 2-8° C. Samples will be stable for 28 days at 2-8° C (refrigerated). Note: Specimen collection locations > 3350 feet above sea level should use the Quantiferon collection kit designed for "High Altitude" (tubes with a gold ring on tube top).

Room Temperature

Uncentrifuged specimens:
Room temperature: 72 hours
Refrigerated: 72 hours
Frozen: Unacceptable
Centrifuged specimens (acceptable):
Room temperature: Unacceptable
Refrigerated: 28 days
Frozen: Unacceptable