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Infectious Disease
At the forefront of infectious disease testing, LabCorp's expertise and technology leadership provide novel assays with ultrasensitive measurements and specificity.
West Nile Virus is an arthropod-borne virus first isolated in 1937 from the West Nile region of Uganda. The virus has been commonly found in humans and birds and other vertebrates in Africa, Eastern Europe, West Asia, and the Middle East, but until 1999, it had not previously been documented in the Western Hemisphere. The virus is spread by the bite of an infected mosquito and can infect people, horses, many types of birds, and some other animals.
Confirmation of West Nile virus infection may be achieved through several laboratory methods, including the serologic detection of West Nile virus antibodies.
Cytomegalovirus, also known as CMV, is a DNA virus that can have serious effects on transplant recipients, cancer or AIDS patients, and newborns. Since CMV infections are acquired throughout life, most infections usually develop as a result of CMV reactivation. Primary infection may lead to severe consequences, especially in individuals at highest risk. For this reason, the use of sensitive, specific, and rapid testing to support a diagnosis of CMV infection is critical to proper patient management. LabCorp offers a qualitative CMV DNA PCR for the direct detection of the virus with sensitivity and timely turnaround. To manage your CMV patients' therapy, LabCorp also offers a quantitative DNA assay to assess the response to antiviral therapy.
Bordetella pertussis and Bordetella parapertussis
Pertussis is a highly contagious disease caused by organisms of the genus Bordetella. Bordetella pertussis and Bordetella parapertussis infections are strictly human pathogens and occur in all parts of the world. Despite effective vaccination programs, pertussis remains an important and highly contagious disease. Early diagnosis is important for effective therapy and prevention of transmission. LabCorp offers an assay to assist in the diagnosis of Bordetella pertussis and B. parapertussis infection by detecting and differentiating B. pertussis and B. parapertussis DNA in nasopharyngeal specimens.
 Detection of Bordetella pertussis and Bordetella parapertussis by PCR
Human Parvovirus B19 is an infection that occurs worldwide, throughout the year and in all age groups. This virus is transmitted effectively after close contact and causes a wide spectrum of diseases, including erythema infectiosum ("fifth disease"), aplastic crisis in patients with hemolytic anemias, hydrops fetalis, acute arthritis, and persistent anemias and neutropenia in immunocompromised patients. ViroMed, one of LabCorp's Centers of Excellence, offers a panel of tests that includes PCR detection of parvovirus B 19 DNA, and IgM and IgG antibody testing for parvovirus B 19 infection.
Detection of Human Parvovirus B19
Toxoplasma gondii is an obligate intracellular parasite commonly infecting a variety of mammals, including rodents, house cats, and humans. Infection occurs through ingestion of undercooked meat, exposure to and/or ingestion of oocyst excreted in the feces of infected cats, or transplacental transmission from an acutely infected woman. While a significant percentage of the population in the US is exposed to and infected by T. gondii during its lifetime, few people develop toxoplasmosis as a result of the infection. Acute infection in pregnant women, however, can result in transplacental transmission to the fetus, which can cause fetal morbidity and/or mortality. Infection is usually asymptomatic in older children and adults. In conjunction with standard serological tests, LabCorp offers a molecular assay for the detection of T. gondii. The PCR assay detects T. gondii DNA in tissue, blood, and body fluids, or fetal/neonatal tissue.
Detection of Toxoplasma gondii Infection by PCR
Enteroviruses include more than 70 distinct serotypes (Coxsackie A and B, echoviruses, polioviruses, and enteroviruses types 68 and 71) and are associated with a broad spectrum of disease. Enteroviral infection accounts for more than 10 to 15 million cases of symptomatic infection each year in the US alone. This includes infections such as respiratory disease, gastrointestinal disease, acute myopericarditis, and CNS disease. LabCorp's real-time PCR assay offers a sensitive, highly specific, and rapid test for the support of an enterovirus diagnosis.
Rapid Detection of Enterovirus Using Real-time PCR
Herpes simplex virus (HSV) infections are common and may range from mild to severe disease. The availability of antiviral therapy and the high mortality associated with CNS disease (encephalitis) emphasizes a need for a prompt and accurate diagnosis; therefore, the availability of sensitive, specific, and rapid laboratory test support is crucial to effective patient management. LabCorp's real-time PCR assay for the detection of HSV offers rapid detection, genotyping, quantitation, and a closed system with minimal risk of contamination after specimen processing.
Rapid Detection of Herpes Simplex Virus by Real-time PCR
Polyomaviruses, JC virus (JCV) and BK virus (BKV), are most often associated with immunological impairment and are usually related to reactivation of latent virus. JCV is linked to a neurological disease, progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML), which occurs primarily in AIDS patients. The disease is rapidly fatal and contributes significantly to mortality in individuals with AIDS. BKV is associated with urinary tract disease and is most commonly found in transplant patients undergoing immunosuppressive therapy. LabCorp's polyomavirus real-time PCR assay provides rapid, sensitive, and accurate detection of polyomavirus sequences in clinical specimens.
Noroviruses are members of the Caliciviridae family, which includes the Norwalk and other related viruses. In 2002, significant outbreaks of the Norwalk virus were reported on cruise ships. The outbreaks demonstrated how readily noroviruses can be transmitted. LabCorp offers RT-PCR testing to help detect and differentiate noroviruses shed into stool specimens. The RT-PCR test offers the ability to detect extremely low levels of virus. This information can be valuable in the response to outbreaks.
Norovirus Detection by RT-PCR
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