Q Fever – Serology
Consistent with O. Reg. 671/92 of the French Language Services Act, laboratory testing information on this page is only available in English because it is scientific or technical in nature and is for use only by qualified health care providers and not by members of the public.
Specimen Requirements
| Test Requested | Required Requisition(s) | Specimen Type | Minimum Volume | Collection Kit |
Q-Fever serology, or Coxiella burnetti |
Whole blood or serum |
5.0 ml whole blood or 1.0 ml serum |
Vacutainer tubes (SST) |
Submission and Collection Notes
Indicate symptoms, exposure to farm animals, date of onset and other pertinent information such as chronic cases, granulomatous hepatitis or endocarditis on the General Test Requisition Form.
Timing of Specimen Collection
An acute (collected early after the onset of symptoms) and a convalescent (collected 2-3 weeks later) may be required for laboratory diagnosis.
Limitations
Haemolysed, icteric, lipemic or microbially contaminated sera or plasma are not recommended for testing.
Storage and Transport
Label the specimen container with the patient’s full name, date of collection and one other unique identifier such as the patient’s date of birth or Health Card Number. Failure to provide this information may result in rejection or testing delay.
Special Instructions
Centrifuge if using SST. Label specimens with at least two identifiers; place it in biohazard bag and seal. Specimens should be stored at 2-8°C following collection and shipped to PHOL on ice packs.
Test Frequency and Turnaround Time (TAT)
Q Fever serology testing is performed once per week.
Turnaround time is up to 10 days from receipt by PHO laboratory.
Q Fever (Coxiella burnetti) serology is performed using Indirect Immunofluorescence antibody (IFA) assay for IgG and IgM for both phase 1 and phase 2 antibodies.
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