West nile virus laboratory tests
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]
Overview
Laboratory tests
In 1999 in the U.S., the sensitivity of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests of CSF for the diagnosis of human WN encephalitis cases was only 57%; more recent statistics are currently unavailable. Thus, PCR for the diagnosis of WN viral infections of the human central nervous system (CNS) continues to be experimental and should not replace tests for the detection of WNV-specific antibody in CSF and serum, tests that are far more sensitive.
A high clinical suspicion for arboviral encephalitis should be encouraged among health care providers. When the diagnosis is in doubt, appropriate clinical specimens should be submitted to CDC or another laboratory capable of performing reliable serologic testing for antibodies to domestic arboviruses. Testing of CSF and paired acute- and convalescent-phase serum samples should be strongly encouraged to maximize the accuracy of serologic results.