Specimen Collection Form

Zika Virus
Collection and submission of fetal tissues for Zika virus testing

General information






Interim Guidelines for the Evaluation and Testing of Infants with Possible Congenital Zika Virus Infection —
United States, 2016 are available at http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/65/wr/mm6503e3.htm.
The following information applies to fetal tissue collection and submission. For cord blood and amniotic fluid
analysis, please contact your state or local health department to determine the appropriate guidance for
collection, submission and testing.
Please make sure that your state or local health department and CDC have been notified and have
approved submission and shipment of all specimens before they are collected and sent.
CDC Form 50.34 is required to be submitted with all specimens. For test order name, enter “Zika virus”. The
form is available at http://www.cdc.gov/laboratory/specimen-submission/pdf/form-50-34.pdf.
Please direct questions to [email protected].

Collection of fetal or infant tissues











Please notify: [email protected] prior to any tissue specimen submission.
Appropriate consent from the parents or guardian must be obtained by the healthcare provider prior to
collection and submission of specimens for Zika virus testing.
Ensure that a portion of the tissue or products of conception is collected and routed for routine evaluation or
cytogenetics, as needed.
To optimize evaluation of possible Zika virus infection on fetal tissues, please provide both formalin fixed and
frozen tissues. If it is not possible to provide both types of tissue, prioritize formalin fixed tissues.
The type of tissues available for evaluation will depend on the gestational age of the fetus and the collection
procedure that is performed. Effort should be made to maintain the tissue architecture, and to minimize any
dissection or disruption of the tissues.
Collection of brain tissue is most important to evaluate for possible Zika virus infection. Maintaining the
structure of the brain architecture is particularly important to help evaluate viral neuropathology.
Placenta should be sampled extensively (or submitted intact if early gestation); please include several full
thickness pieces, including sections of the placental disk, membranes, umbilical cord, and any pathologic
lesions when possible.
If individual organs or tissue types can be easily identified at autopsy, please provide a 0.5-1.0 cm sample
from each major organ, including heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, skeletal muscle, and bone marrow. Sampling of
eyes is highly recommended.
For situations where individual organs or tissue types cannot be identified, please provide any available
tissue with minimal disruption.
CDC Infectious Diseases Pathology Branch (IDPB) can accept microscopic or gross photos from health
departments as part of either telediagnosis consultation or routine tissue specimen submission for diagnostic
evaluation. Photos should not contain patient names or medical record numbers. Please see
http://www.cdc.gov/ncezid/dhcpp/idpb/epathology/index.html for details regarding CDC ePathology
telediagnosis.

National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases
Division of Vector-Borne Diseases

Formalin fixed or paraffin embedded tissues










Histopathology, immunohistochemical staining, and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RTPCR) will be performed on fixed tissues, as needed.
Tissues should be placed into one or more sterile containers containing adequate formalin.
Fixed tissues should be stored and shipped at room temperature.
Fixed tissues should not be shipped with frozen samples.
If paraffin blocks are available, please submit in accordance with shipment guidelines for formalin fixed
tissues.
Fixed tissues should be shipped to the:
Infectious Diseases Pathology Branch
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
1600 Clifton Rd NE, MS G-32
Atlanta, Georgia 30329-4027
More information about collecting, handling, and shipping formalin fixed tissues is available at
http://www.cdc.gov/ncezid/dhcpp/idpb/specimen-submission/index.html.
Additional questions should be directed to [email protected] or 404-639-3133.

Frozen tissues








RT-PCR can be performed on frozen tissues.
Fresh tissue should be placed into one or more sterile containers.
If samples are taken from individual organs, please provide at minimum a 0.25 cm square from each organ.
Frozen tissues should be stored at -70o Centigrade and shipped on dry ice. If dry ice is not available, tissues
can be shipped on wet ice but is not optimal.
Frozen tissues should be shipped to the:
Arboviral Diseases Branch Diagnostic Laboratory
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
3156 Rampart Road
Fort Collins, Colorado 80521
More information about collecting, handling, and shipping frozen tissues is available at
http://www.cdc.gov/ncezid/dvbd/specimensub/arboviral-shipping.html.dditional questions should be
directed to the Arboviral Diseases Branch at [email protected] or 970-221-6400.

Reporting of results



Test results will be reported to the state health department and the submitting healthcare provider.
Turnaround time will vary and depend on testing volume.

Updated: February 5, 2016