Information for Health Professionals on Influenza A Variant Viruses
(H3N2v, H1N2v, H1N1v)

For patients admitted with ILI or clinical suspicion of influenza without evidence of pneumonia or other lower respiratory disease – submit one upper respiratory specimen per patient.

• Nasopharyngeal swab is the preferred specimen
• Other acceptable specimens include nasal swab, nasal wash/aspirate, throat swab, or combined nasal swab with an oropharyngeal swab, and viral culture

• Place respiratory specimens into viral transport media (VTM; e.g., M4, M5, Universal Transport Media) for transport to MDH-PHL. Washes and aspirates may be collected in saline and placed into 1-3 milliliters viral transport media.
  • Store and ship at refrigeration temperature.
  • Freeze specimen, and ship frozen, if it will not reach MDH-PHL within 7 days.
• Swabs collected and/or transported in non-sterile containers, baggies, or without transport media (dry) will not be accepted.
• Ship at refrigeration temperature.
• New England Journal of Medicine: H1N1 Influenza A Disease - Information for Health Professionals
  Refer to Collection of Nasopharyngeal Specimens with the Swab Technique video.

Please indicate "swine exposure" as appropriate.

Only a single Clinical Testing and Submission Form is required; however, you must use the correct version of the form, which is dependent on whether the patient is hospitalized or not.
NOTE: There is NO fee sticker required for influenza testing.

Non-Hospitalized Influenza Testing (Project #493)
Use this form for submitting specimens for influenza testing from non-hospitalized patients. Write project #493 in the upper right-hand corner of the form and indicate "swine exposure" as appropriate.

• Infectious Disease Laboratory Submission Form (PDF)
  Printable and/or fillable. More information can be found on Forms for the Infectious Disease Laboratory

Hospitalized Patients Only (Project #1492)
Use this form for all specimens submitted from persons hospitalized with ILI or clinical suspicion of influenza. In order to allow for prompt testing of submitted specimens for project #1492, please be sure to fill out the form completely, especially information regarding hospitalization (date of admission, hospital of admission, and outcome) found on the lower right-hand corner of the form, and indicate "swine exposure" as appropriate.

• Hospitalized Influenza Submission Form Project 1492 (PDF)
  • Influenza Form Guidance (PDF)
    More information can be found on Forms for the Infectious Disease Laboratory

Shipping to MDH-PHL

• Ship at refrigeration temperature.
  • Use cold packs to keep specimens at 4 degrees C.
• Ship specimens to MDH-PHL by an overnight delivery service.
  • NOTE: It is the responsibility of the submitting laboratory to determine the appropriate packaging and shipping for patient specimens and culture isolates.
  • DOT HAZMAT regulations: PHMSA Regulations
• Ship to:
  Minnesota Department of Health
  Public Health Laboratory
  Attn: Biological Accessioning
  601 Robert St. N
  St. Paul, Minnesota 55155-2531

Questions?

• For an MDH epidemiologist, call 651-201-5414 or 1-877-676-5414.
• During business hours you can call the Virology Supervisor at 651-201-5035.

Commercially available rapid influenza diagnostic tests may not detect H3N2v, H1N2v, or H1N1v in respiratory specimens.

• CDC: Evaluation of Rapid Influenza Diagnostic Tests for Influenza A (H3N2)v Virus Infections and Updated Case Count – United States, 2012 (PDF). CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 2012. Early Release August 10, 2012.