One 7.5 mL serum separator tube (SST). Also acceptable: One 5 mL red top tube. Patients need not be fasting and no special preparations are necessary.
Handling:
Allow to clot, centrifuge and separate serum from cells immediately. Refrigerate. Freeze if specimen is not assayed within 48 hours. Avoid repeated feeze/thaw cycles. If other testing is ordered, send separate specimen for this test.
Standard Volume:
2 mL serum.
Minimum Volume:
1 mL serum.
Transport:
Refrigerated, or frozen on dry ice.
Comments:
Quantitation is useful in monitoring vaccines and to establish time of revaccination. Detecting anti-HBs is generally focused on epidemiologic factors associated with transmission of HBsAG and evaluation of the recovery and prognosis of infected patients.
Rejection Criteria:
Gross hemolysis; gross lipemia; heat-inactivated specimens; refrigerated specimen received in laboratory more than 48 hours after collection.