Home
HelpOrder Code BARTB Bartonella, Molecular Detection, PCR, Blood
Reporting Name
Bartonella PCR, BUseful For
Aiding in the diagnosis of Bartonella infection when Bartonella DNA would be expected to be present in blood, especially endocarditis
Performing Laboratory
Mayo Clinic Laboratories in Rochester
Specimen Type
Whole Blood EDTAOrdering Guidance
If this test result is negative and there is a strong suspicion of disease caused by these organisms, consider BART / Bartonella Antibody Panel, IgG and IgM, Serum and Warthin-Starry tissue stain (PATHC / Pathology Consultation) testing.
Specimen Required
The high sensitivity of amplification by polymerase chain reaction requires the specimen to be processed in an environment in which contamination of the specimen by Bartonella species DNA is unlikely.
Container/Tube:
Preferred: Lavender top (EDTA)
Acceptable: Royal blue top (EDTA), pink top (EDTA), or sterile vial containing EDTA-derived aliquot
Specimen Volume: 1 mL
Collection Instructions: Send specimen in original tube (preferred).
Specimen Minimum Volume
0.5 mL
Specimen Stability Information
| Specimen Type | Temperature | Time | Special Container |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whole Blood EDTA | Refrigerated (preferred) | 7 days | |
| Ambient | 7 days | ||
| Frozen | 7 days |
Reference Values
Not applicable
Day(s) Performed
Monday through Friday
CPT Code Information
87801
Method Description
Bacterial nucleic acid is extracted from the specimen using the automated MagNA Pure instrument. The purified DNA is placed on the LightCycler instrument, which amplifies and monitors by fluorescence the development of target nucleic sequences after each polymerase chain reaction (PCR) cycle. A specific target sequence from Bartonella species is amplified and the resulting segment is detected using specific hybridization probes. Detection of the bartonella target is performed through melting curve analysis using the LightCycler software.(Cockerill FR, Uhl JR: Applications and challenges of real-time PCR for the clinical microbiology laboratory. In: Reischl U, Wittwer C, Cockerill F, eds. Rapid Cycle Real-Time PCR Methods and Applications. Springer-Verlag; 2002:3-27; Dumler JS, Carroll KC, Patel R: Bartonella. In: Carroll K, Pfaller M, eds. Manual of Clinical Microbiology. 12th ed. ASM Press; 2019:893-904)
Reject Due To
| All specimens will be evaluated at Mayo Clinic Laboratories for test suitability. |
Method Name
Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)
Forms
If not ordering electronically, complete, print, and send a Microbiology Test Request (T244) with the specimen.