Florida Bureau of Public Health laboratories
Rubella Igg Pregnancy screen
BPHL tests for the rubella immunity status of pregnant women utilizing an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).
Rubella screening has been discontinued. Please view alternative testing options for rubella on the test menu.
Analyte(s)
Rubella
Test Code
4000
Testing Location
Discontinued
Testing Department
Serology
Pre-approval Required?
No. Contact the local county health department (CHD).
Required Forms
BPHL Test Requisition, DH1847 if not utilizing an electronic test order.
Indicate pregnancy status.
Turnaround Time
Two business days after receipt at the laboratory.
Minimum Volume
2 mL of serum or plasma
Unsatisfactory specimen
1. Quantity not sufficient (QNS)
2. Specimen was not labeled with at least two unique patient identifiers
3. Information on specimen does not match requisition/test order
4. Specimen leaked in transit
5. Specimen was received out of the acceptable temperature range
6. Specimens not received at 2-8° C and/or >two days from collection date.
Collection Media
Serum: red or tiger top serum separator (SST) preferred
Plasma: plasma in lithium heparin, di- and tri- potassium EDTA or sodium heparin acceptable
Specimen Sources
Serum (preferred)
Plasma
Specimen Labeling
Specimen must be labeled with at least two unique patient identifiers, e.g., name and DOB, and the date of collection.
Information on the specimen must match the requisition and/or test order.
Special SPecimen Preparation
N/A
Storage Conditions
Store specimens at 2-8° C and ship to be received at the laboratory within two days of collection.
Packaging and Shipping
Specimens must be shipped overnight at 2-8° C. It is preferred that specimens are shipped the same day as collection.
You must select “Saturday delivery” on packages shipped on Friday.
Couriered samples must be transported in a cooler with frozen ice packs to arrive at the laboratory between 2-8° C. Laboratory staff will check the temperature of the cooler upon arrival before accepting specimens.
Interferences and Limitations
1. Positive results in neonates must be interpreted with caution, since maternal IgG is transferred passively from the mother to the fetus before birth. IgM assays are generally more useful indicators of infection in children below the age of 6 months.
2. Samples collected very early in the course of an infection may not have detectable levels of IgG.
3. Samples that remain equivocal after repeat testing should be retested by an alternate method, e.g, immunofluorescence assay (IFA). If results remain equivocal upon further testing, an additional sample should be taken.
4. Results of this test should be interpreted by the physician in light of other clinical findings and diagnostic procedures.
5. The results from immunocompromised patients must be interpreted with caution. The presence of IgG antibody against a particular virus or organism may not assure protection from that disease. Some immune individuals have been shown have such low circulating IgG levels that they may appear negative or equivocal for that antibody when tested and then show a significant rise in antibody level when retested after exposure to the rubella virus.
6. The results of a single specimen antibody determination should not be used to aid in the diagnosis of recent infection.
Reference Range
Vaccinated = Immune
Non-vaccinated = Not immune
Result Indicator
Immune: Indicates presence of detectable IgG antibody to rubella virus by the ELISA test. Indicative of current or previous infection.
Non-immune: No detectable antibody to rubella virus by the ELISA test. Such individuals are presumed to be uninfected with rubella and to be susceptible to primary infection.
Indeterminate
Reference lab
None
Reflex testing
None