TB Interferon Antigen Response (QuantiFERON-TB Gold)

YTBGOLD

TB Interferon Antigen Response (QuantiFERON-TB Gold)

Special Collection Tubes- QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus

4 Tubes with 1 mL each. See Special Handling for transport information.

Collect blood by venipuncture directly into each of the blood collection tubes using only a vacutainer or syringe. Four tubes must be collected for each patient: gray cap tube, green cap tube, yellow cap tube, and purple cap tube. It is recommended to draw in the order of gray, green, yellow, purple. These tubes draw blood reletivley slow. Keep the tube on the needle for 2-3 seconds once the tube appears to have completed filling. This will ensure the correct volume is drawn. If a “butterfly needle” is being used to collect blood, use a "purge tube" to ensure that the tubing is filled with blood prior to use of the blood collection tubes. The black indicator line on the side of the tube indicates the correct fill volume; the tubes must not be filled above or below this line. If one tube is a short draw tube, the one tube can be redrawn immediately. All four tubes do not need to be redrawn.
Mix the tubes after the draw by shaking 10 times, just firmly enough to ensure that the entire inner surface of each tube is coated with blood to solubilize antigens on tube walls. Over-energetic shaking may cause gel disruption and could lead to aberrant results.

The collection date and time is required on the specimen tubes. If adding a barcode label, please do not cover the top of the TB Gold IT color coded label which is necessary for the lab to identify tube type. If transporting within 16 hours, store at ambient temperature.
Specimens must be incubated within 16 hours of collection. Incubate for 16-23 hours @ 37°C. Centrifuge 15 minutes @ 3000, then refrigerate for transport. DO NOT IMMEDIATELY CENTRIFUGE, REFRIGERATE, PLACE ON ICE, OR FREEZE THE BLOOD SAMPLES.

Specimens > 16 hours old, no exceptions; centrifuged, refrigerated, frozen; collect time and date is not recorded on specimen; use of any blood collection tubes other than the QFT-Plus blood collection tubes; samples outside the acceptable fill range (black indicator line).

Incubated: specimens not incubated within 16 hours of collection, incubated >24 hours, not received by the laboratory within 3 days (unless centrifuged), frozen, incorrectly labeled tubes, use of any blood collection tubes other than the QFT-Plus blood collection tubes, samples outside the acceptable fill range (black indicator line).

Stability: Non-incubated specimens. Ambient. Samples must be received by the lab < 16 hours of collection. Incubated: uncentrifuged specimens: ambient or refrigerated. Specimens must be received in the lab within 3 days after incubation. Specific incubation instructions required.