Test Overview
Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)
Measures the CMV viral load present at the time of specimen collection. Used as an aid in determining or altering treatment in CMV infected, immunocompromised patients.
Not detected in uninfected patients. Patients with latent infection may have a detectable viral load at baseline.
* Reference ranges may change over time. Please refer to the original patient report when evaluating results.
A single assay result should not be used as the only criteria to form a clinical conclusion. Results should be correlated with serologic test results, patient symptoms and clinical presentation.
Test Details
8 hours
- CMV Antigenemia Replacement Assay
- CMV DNA Quantitation
- CMV pp65
- CMV Viral Load
- Cytomegalovirus Viral Load
- pp65 Antigen
- Viral Load, Cytomegalovirus (CMV)
- QCMV
- CMV DNA, QUANTITATION; PCR
Specimen Requirements
Collect specimen in a lavender top (EDTA) tube. Centrifuge for 20 minutes at 800 - 1600 xg at room temperature and aliquot plasma into a polypropylene plastic vial within 24 hours of collection. Refrigerate for up to 5 days or freeze for longer storage. Do not allow frozen specimens to thaw at any time during storage or transport, due to possible degradation of the DNA. Specimens submitted in polystyrene tubes are not acceptable. Specimens sent for Microbiology molecular testing require a dedicated sample and cannot be shared with other laboratories.
Additional Information
The lower limit of detection is 31.2 IU/mL (1.49 log IU/mL). The quantitative range of this assay is 50 IU/mL to 156,000,000 IU/mL (1.70 to 8.19 LOG10) at the lower limit of quantification, the difference between two measurements of 1 log IU/mL (10 fold) is statistically significant. Virus present below 50 IU/ mL will be reported as detected but not quantified. If results are greater than 156,000,000 IU/mL a dilution of the sample will be run for an exact quantitation. For Mlabs, please contact client service center if actual viral load is needed.