Mpox Virus DNS, QL Real-Time PCR

Orthopoxvirus, Non-variola, Vaccinia virus, NAA, Monkeypox (Orthopoxvirus) PCR, Orthopoxvirus (Monkeypox) PCR, Monkey Pox, Orthopoxvirus, Monkeypox, Poxvirus

Test Codes

EPIC: LAB1231011, Beaker: MPOX Virus D, Quest: 12084

Department

Send Outs

Specimen Collection Criteria

Collect: Lesion swab collected in 3.0 mL universal transport media (UTM).  Swab a pustule/lesion vigorously and place the swab into a universal transport media (UTM).

Physician Office/Draw Specimen Preparation

Maintain all specimen types frozen (-20°C/-4°F or below) prior to transport.

Preparation for Courier Transport

Maintain all specimen types frozen (-20°C/-4°F or below) prior to transport.

Transport: Maintain all specimen types frozen (-20°C/-4°F or below) prior to transport.

Rejection Criteria

• Dry Swabs (not submitted in UTM/VCM).
• Cotton/calcium alginate swabs or swabs with wooden shafts.

Storage

Specimen Stability for Testing:

Room Temperature (20-26°C or 68-78.8°F): Unacceptable
Refrigerated (2-8°C or 36-46°F): 7 days
Frozen (-20°C/-4°F or below): 30 days

Specimen Storage in Department Prior to Disposal:

Specimen retention time is determined by the policy of the reference laboratory. Contact the Send Outs Laboratory with any questions.

Laboratory

Sent to Quest Diagnostics, Wood Dale, IL.

Performed

Daily.
Results available within 2-4 days.

Reference Range

Orthopoxvirus DNA, QL PCR	Not detected
Mpox Virus DNA, QL PCR	Not detected

Test Methodology

Clinical Utility

Mpox Virus DNA, Qualitative Real-Time PCR – The Mpox Virus DNA, Qualitative Real-time PCR test is intended for the qualitative detection of non-variola Orthopoxviruses and Mpox virus (clade II) DNA using swabs from human pustular or vesicular rash specimens.

Clinical Disease

The rash associated with monkeypox involves vesicles or pustules that are deep-seated, firm, or hard, and well-circumscribed; the lesions may umbilicate or become confluent and progress over time to scabs.

Presenting symptoms typically include fever, chills, the distinctive rash, or new lymphadenopathy; however, onset of perianal or genital lesions in the absence of subjective fever has been reported.

The rash associated with monkeypox can be confused with other diseases that are encountered in clinical practice (e.g., secondary syphilis, herpes, chancroid, and varicella zoster). However, a high index of suspicion for monkeypox is warranted when evaluating people with a characteristic rash, particularly for men who report sexual contact with other men and who present with lesions in the genital/perianal area or for individuals reporting a significant travel history in the month before illness onset or contact with a suspected or confirmed case of monkeypox.

Disease Reporting

This is a reportable disease, and positive results will be reported to the local county health department.

Epidemiology

Monkeypox virus is an enveloped double-stranded DNA virus that belongs to the Orthopoxvirus genus of the Poxviridae family. There are two distinct genetic clades of the monkeypox virus: the central African (Congo Basin) clade and the west African clade. The Congo Basin clade has historically caused more severe disease and was thought to be more transmissible. However, the current monkeypox outbreak (2022) is caused by the less severe West African clade and is behaving in new ways to spread more widely.

Incubation Period

The incubation period (interval from infection to onset of symptoms) of monkeypox is usually from 6 to 13 days but can range from 5 to 21 days.

Transmission

Monkeypox virus can spread from animals to humans (zoonotic transmission) through direct contact with the blood, bodily fluids, or cutaneous or mucosal lesions of infected animals. In the United States 2003 outbreak, monkeypox was reported among several people who had contact with sick pet prairie dogs that had contact with imported African rodents.

Human-to-human transmission can result from close contact with respiratory secretions or skin lesions from those infected. The spread of monkeypox virus via respiratory secretions is uncommon since respiratory droplets cannot travel more than several feet and prolonged face-to-face contact is needed. Monkeypox primarily spreads through direct contact with body fluids or sores on the body of someone who has monkeypox, or with direct contact with materials that have touched body fluids or sores, such as clothing or linens.

CPT Codes

87593

Contacts

Last Updated

12/17/2025