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Test Code SSPNL Infectious Stool Panel

Important Note

If ordering the Expanded Infections Stool Panel outside of circumstances defined by payor medical necessity policies, a shared decision-making conversation with documented appropriate notice of non-coverage is expected to be completed.

 

Results of the panel are intended to aid in the diagnosis of illness and are meant to be used in conjunction with other clinical and epidemiological findings.

Additional Codes

Standard Infectious Stool Panel- SSPNL

Expanded Infectious Stool Panel- STLPCR

 

Performing Laboratory

St. Luke's Hospital Cedar Rapids

Specimen Requirements

Stool specimen preserved in Cary Blair/C&S transport media.

 

Collection instructions:

1.  Collect fresh stool specimen and submit 1 gram or 5 mL into the transport medium.

2.  Place stool in preservative within 2 hours of collection

3.  Label transport medium and order in computer.

4.  Transport to laboratory, ambient or refrigerated, within 4 days.

 

Note: The detection of microbial DNA or RNA is dependent upon proper sample collection, handling, transportation, storage, and preparation.  There is a risk of false-negative results due to the presence of strains with sequence variability or genetic rearrangements in the target regions of the assays.

 

The test is not recommended as a test of cure.

 

Repeat testing should not be performed on samples collected less than 7 days apart.

 

The presence of blood or mucous in the sample may interfere with testing.

Methodology

Multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)

 

A negative result should not rule-out infection inpatients with a high pretest probability for gastrointestinal infection.  The assay does not test for all potential infectious agents of diarrheal disease.

 

Positive results do not distinguish between a viable/replicating organism and the presence of a nonviable organism or nucleic acid, nor do they exclude the potential for coinfection by organisms not contained within the panel.

 

NOTE: Positive C. difficile PCR tests will reflex to Toxin EIA.

 

Test Classification and CPT Coding

87505-Gastrointestinal pathogen, includes multiplex amplified probe technique, multiple types or subtypes, 3-5 targets

87507 - Gastrointestinal pathogen, includes multiplex amplified probe technique, multiple types or subtypes, 12-25 targets.

87324 - C. difficile Toxin EIA (if PCR is positive)

Reference Ranges

Not Detected (for all targets)

 

Day (s) Test Set Up

Monday thru Sunday; continuously.

Report Available

1 hr, 10 min

Tests included in this panel

SSPNL will have 5 standard organisms (Campylobacter, Clostridium difficile toxin A/B, Salmonella, Norovirus, Rotovirus) that will result whether they are negative or positive.

 

These additional organisms will result only if positive.

Plesiomonas shigelloides, Vibrio, Yersinia,

E. Coli, Shigella

Adenovirus, Astrovirus, Sapovirus

Cryptosporidium, Cyclospora, Entamoeba histolytica, Giardia lamblia