Nasopharyngeal and/or oropharyngeal swabs placed in up to 3 mL of viral transport media. Samples will be pre-screened by SARS-CoV-2 PCR to determine the quantity of viral RNA in the sample. Samples with Ct values <25 will be processed for WGS. Samples with Ct values >25 can be processed upon request.
Alternatively, extracted RNA from a SARS-CoV-2 positive sample can be processed directly for WGS.
The assay offered by Enfer Medical is the llumina, CovidSeq assay for patients with PCR confirmed COVID-19 infection. The amplicon-based next generation amplicon sequencing (NGS) assay leverages a modified version of the publicly available ARTIC multiplex PCR protocol to help identify novel strains of SARS-CoV-2. The service is clinically validated for nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal swabs with detectable SARS-CoV-2 RNA.
For clients using the Enfer Medical Client Portal, the Enfer Medical Patient Request Form (PRF) will be generated when you have completed your “Test Request” within the portal linked below.
Please note that samples suspected of containing high risk pathogens such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis should be clearly identified on the form and packed separately from other samples.
Results are available within three working days.
This assay is available seven days a week.
The packaging/preparation of samples for delivery to the laboratory are required to be in adherence to all national regulations for the safe transport of biological materials. HSE guidance can be reviewed HERE.
There are specific packaging instructions and labelling requirements requiring triple packaging including:
Further information on the packaging/preparation of samples for delivery to the laboratory is contained within the Enfer Medical Laboratory User Manual which clients are provided with.
Samples must be tested within 1 week of collection and stored at 2-8°C.
In addition to the packaging of samples, the transport/delivery of clinical samples to the laboratory is required to be in adherence to all national regulations for the safe transport of biological materials. Enfer Medical provides a fully compliant logistics service, aligned with clients’ testing requirements.
Prompt transport of specimens:
To ensure prompt testing of samples and release of results within the published test turnaround times, samples should arrive to the laboratory by 18:00. Test turnaround time is measured from receipt of the sample at the laboratory until the time the authorised results are reported to users.
In rare cases specimens may not be suitable for testing on arrival to the laboratory. In that case the sample will be rejected at the receipt stage and the service user will be notified immediately and an explanation as to why the sample could not be processed will be provided. Reasons why samples cannot be processed include but are not limited to:
