ARUP's Laboratory Test Directory
| 0050170: Coccidioides Antibody by CF |
| Test Mnemonic: COCCI | |
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Methodology: Complement Fixation
Performed: Sun-Fri Reported: 2-4 days |
| Specimen Required: | |
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Collect: One 4 mL SST or 2 mL CSF.
Transport: 1 mL serum or CSF at 2-8°C. (Min: 0.5 mL) Submit specimen in an ARUP Standard Transport Tube. Pediatric Collection/Transport: 0.3 mL serum or CSF at 2-8°C. Remarks: Separate serum from cells ASAP. Acute and convalescent specimens must be labeled as such; parallel testing is preferred and convalescent specimens must be received within 30 days from receipt of acute specimens. Please mark specimens plainly as "acute" or "convalescent." Unacceptable Conditions: Severely lipemic or contaminated specimens. Stability: After separation from cells: Ambient: 2 days; Refrigerated: 2 weeks; Frozen: 1 year (avoid repeated freeze/thaw cycles) |
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| Reference Interval: |
| < 1:2 |
| Interpretive Data: | |
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Any titer suggests past or current infection. However, greater than 30% of cases with chronic residual pulmonary disease have negative Complement Fixation (CF) tests. Titers of less than 1:32 (even as low as 1:2) may indicate past infection or self-limited disease; titers greater than or equal to 1:32 may indicate disseminated infection. CF serology may be used to follow therapy. Antibody in CSF is considered diagnostic for coccidioidal meningitis, although 10% of patients with coccidioidal meningitis will not have antibody in CSF.
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| Note: | |
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CF measures both IgM and IgG. As single antibody titers are generally not diagnostic, paired samples are preferred. Acute and convalescent samples (drawn at least 21 days apart), showing at least a fourfold rise in titer, are diagnostic. Negative fungal serology does not rule out the possibility of current infection. |
| CPT Code(s): | |
| 86635 |