ARUP Laboratories Qualitative NAAT for Influenza A (H5) Virus

ARUP Laboratories has launched the laboratory-developed qualitative nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT) for the detection and subtyping of influenza A (H5) virus. Developed in collaboration with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the assay is intended to aid in the evaluation of individuals who may have been exposed to highly pathogenic avian influenza A virus, also known as H5N1 or bird flu. Sample collection is performed via a respiratory or conjunctival swab, which is then placed in viral transport media (also available through ARUP) and sent to ARUP Labs, a national reference laboratory and nonprofit enterprise of the University of Utah and its Department of Pathology.