NEW YORK – Quest Diagnostics on Wednesday said it has received contracts from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to support testing and lab readiness for avian influenza and Oropouche viruses.
Quest has developed a multi-target molecular test for avian influenza A H5 virus that it plans by the end of the month to make available with a prescription to individuals suspected of being infected with the virus.
Additionally, under the CDC contract, Quest is developing diagnostics to aid in the detection of Oropouche virus, which is an emerging virus in the Americas that is spread to people by infected midges and mosquitoes.
The company did not disclose the contract amounts.
Currently, Quest and other commercial labs offer testing for influenza A but must send positive samples to public health labs or the CDC for H5 subtyping to identify cases of avian influenza A H5. With the launch of the Quest test, subtyping will be available at a national commercial lab, enabling a quick increase in testing capacity should it be needed.
The test does not detect seasonal influenza A subtypes, influenza B, or other respiratory viruses.
The avian flu test is meant to be performed in respiratory or conjunctiva specimens collected from people suspected of infection or who meet the CDC's clinical and/or epidemiological criteria for testing. The test will be performed at the company's advanced lab in San Capistrano, California. Quest's patient service centers will not provide specimen collection for the test.
“While the threat of avian influenza and Oropouche virus to the public remains low, we applaud CDC for its forward-thinking approach to ensuring commercial laboratories are prepared to quickly mobilize should a serious threat to human health emerge,” Quest Executive Scientific Director Elizabeth Marlowe said in a statement.
The CDC also recently made awards to Laboratory Corporation of America and ARUP for developing avian influenza tests.