Evaluating Differences in Whole Blood, Serum, and Urine Screening Tests for Zika Virus, Puerto Rico, USA, 2016

Emerg Infect Dis. 2021 May;27(5):1505-1508. doi: 10.3201/eid2705.203960.

Abstract

We evaluated nucleic acid amplification testing (NAAT) for Zika virus on whole-blood specimens compared with NAAT on serum and urine specimens among asymptomatic pregnant women during the 2015-2016 Puerto Rico Zika outbreak. Using NAAT, more infections were detected in serum and urine than in whole blood specimens.

Keywords: NAAT; PCR; Puerto Rico; United States; Zika virus; mosquito-borne diseases; mosquitos; nucleic acid amplification testing; outbreak; pregnancy; vector-borne diseases; viruses; whole blood; zoonoses.

MeSH terms

  • Disease Outbreaks
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Pregnancy
  • Pregnancy Complications, Infectious* / epidemiology
  • Puerto Rico
  • Zika Virus Infection* / epidemiology
  • Zika Virus*