Two 7.5 mL serum separator tubes (SST). Also acceptable: Two 5 mL red top tubes.
Handling:
Allow to clot for 30-60 minutes at 20-25° C. Do not clot at 2-8° C. Centrifuge and within 1 hour separate serum into two plastic vials. For C3/C4 Testing: Freeze one tube ≤ -20°C. Allow no more than one freeze/thaw cycle. For ANA Testing: Refrigerate second tube at 2-8° C. Freeze ≤ -20° C if specimen cannot be tested within 7 days. Allow no more than three freeze/thaw cycles.
Stability:
C3/C4: 1 year frozen ≤ -20° C; ANA: 7 days refrigerated or frozen ≤ -20°C for long-term storage.
Standard Volume:
1 mL serum for ANA testing and 1 mL serum for C3/C4 testing
Minimum Volume:
0.5 mL serum for ANA testing and 0.5 mL serum for C3/C4 testing.
Transport:
C3/C4: Frozen on dry ice. ANA: Refrigerated or frozen on dry ice.
Rejection Criteria:
C3/C4: Plasma; grossly lipemic, hemolytic, or contaminated specimen; specimen allowed to clot at 2-8° C; specimen frozen/thawed more than once. ANA: Plasma; grossly lipemic, hemolytic, or contaminated specimen; refrigerated specimen received in lab more than 7 days after collection; specimen frozen thawed more than 3 times