The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has released an interim guidance for testing urine for the Zika virus.
The agency noted that, in most patients, Zika virus RNA is unlikely to be detected in serum after the first week of illness.
However, recent reports have suggested that Zika virus RNA can be detected in urine for at least 2 weeks after the onset of symptoms.
Therefore, the CDC recommends that real-time reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction (rRT-PCR) be performed on urine collected less than 14 days after the onset of symptoms in patients with suspected Zika virus.
The agency said further investigation is needed to determine the utility of rRT-PCR on urine specimens collected at 14 days or beyond.
The CDC also recommends that urine testing be performed in conjunction with serum testing for specimens collected less than 7 days after symptom onset. The agency said its recommendations for testing serum and other clinical specimens for Zika virus have not changed.
At present, the CDC’s Trioplex rRT-PCR assay is the only diagnostic tool authorized by the US Food and Drug Administration to test urine for Zika virus.
