Quest Diagnostics has introduced new new antibody test service to support the diagnosis of infection with the Zika virus.
The service is based on the Zika Immunoglobulin M (IgM) Antibody Capture Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (Zika MAC-ELISA), developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Quest Diagnostics and other select national reference laboratories have received license for the new service to respond to the Zika emergency in the US.
The company will offer access to Zika virus antibody and molecular laboratory test services for people in the US and Puerto Rico, as well as other US territories.
In April, Quest Diagnostics received FDA emergency use authorization status for a Zika test, which is intended for the qualitative detection of RNA from Zika virus in human serum specimens.
In September, the firm launched RT-PCR Zika test service for the qualitative detection of RNA from Zika virus in serum and paired urine specimens.
Molecular RT-PCR tests will detect the presence of Zika virus RNA in a specimen, while antibody serology tests identify the presence of antibodies created by the body in response to infection.
Quest Diagnostics research and development vice president Dr Rick Pesano said: "Quest now provides physicians and patients with access to a robust, complementary range of Zika test options for aiding diagnosis of Zika infection.
"Quest's national scale, diagnostic expertise and relationships with half the country's physicians may be an increasingly important complement to public health response should the number of suspected Zika cases and demand for testing grow in the United States.”