Technical Advisory on Specimen
Collection, Packaging, Transport and
Referral of Samples to the Research
Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM)
for Suspected Monkeypox Virus
SPECIAL PATHOGENS LABORATORY
MONKEYPOX VIRUS
• a double-stranded DNA virus
• viral zoonotic disease
• Genus: orthopoxvirus
• Family: Poxviridae
• named due to its initial detection in monkeys
• Found in rodents
• Reservoir: undetermined
Any individual meeting the
definition for a suspected case
should be offered testing
SPECIMEN COLLECTION , SHIPMENT AND
STORAGE
SAFETY PROCEDURES
SPECIMENS TO BE COLLECTED
• sssssshou
SAMPLES SHOULD BE SHIPPED IMMEDIATELY AFTER COLLECTION
SAMPLE REFERRAL TO RITM
DETAILS NEEDED:
a. Date of Request
b. Region
c. Referring institution/ESU
d. Requesting physician/health worker
e. Outbreak details: Number of cases, location
f. Suspected pathogen
g. Test requested
h. Purpose (i.e. confirmatory testing for outbreak investigation)
i. Specimen type and total number sent
j. Expected date of arrival in testing laboratory
k. Courier (if applicable) including tracking number
l. Shipper’s name, signature, position, institution/agency and contact information
REQUIRED DOCUMENTS
a. Completely filled-out Case
Investigation Form
b. (CIF)/ Case Report Form (CRF)
c. Linelist of referred samples
Shipment
WHEN SENDING SHIPMENT TO RITM…
For Monkeypox Sample, address shipment to:
MS. JUNE C. CARANDANG
Surveillance and Response Unit
Research Institute for Tropical Medicine
9002 Research Drive Filinvest Corporate City Alabang Muntinlupa
SCHEDULES FOR PICKUP OF SAMPLES
Outbreak Samples/EREID Samples
Daily (Monday-Sunday)
Cut off: 3:00 PM PST
Specimen Quality
(Non-Compliance with Specimen Requirements)
● Inappropriate specimen type for the requested test
● Insufficient quantity
● Leaking/broken container
● Suspicion of contamination or tampering
● Inappropriate transport or storage
● Unknown time delay
● Sample deterioration e.g. hemolysis for serologic samples; bacterial
overgrowth or contamination)
● Unlabeled or illegibly labeled specimen
Specimen Information
(Non-Compliance with Document Requirements)
●Incomplete documents
●Missing information in documents
Specimen Coordination
(Non-Compliance with communication/
Coordination Requirements)
●Testing laboratory is not notified of the shipment
●There is no documented acknowledgement by the testing
laboratory of acceptance of the specimen
RITM SURVEILLANCE AND RESPONSE UNIT
•RITM LANDLINE - (02) 8807-2631 local 412
•SMART – 0919-9279197
•GLOBE – 09153578603
LABORATORY TESTING
1. PCR Testing
2. Metagenomic Sequencing
3. Differential Testing
PCR WORKFLOW IN SPL
RELEASE AND REPORTING OF RESULTS
RITM SRU
shall forward the results to the RESU and EB as soon as available. The RESU shall provide the result to the
referring institution.
REFERENCES
1. World Health Organization (21 May 2022). Disease Outbreak News; Multi-country
monkeypox outbreak in non-endemic countries. Available at:
https://www.who.int/emergencies/disease-outbreak-news/item/2022-DON385
2. Monkeypox WHO factsheet. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/monkeypox
3. Monkeypox testing. https://cnphi.canada.ca/gts/reference-diagnostic-test/5030?labId=1021
4. WHO Online course on Monkeypox. https://openwho.org/courses/monkeypox-intermediate
5. Specimen collection procedures for monkeypox.
https://www.cdc.gov/smallpox/lab-personnel/specimen-collection/specimen-collection-procedu
res.html#tonsillar
6. Specimen transport procedures for monkeypox.
https://www.cdc.gov/smallpox/lab-personnel/specimen-collection/specimen-collection-transpo
rt.html
7. Specimen submission procedures for monkeypox.
https://www.cdc.gov/laboratory/specimen-submission/detail.html?CDCTestCode=CDC-10515
