Table 2.
Second tier pathology tests
| Aetiology | Specimen | Test request | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Secondary bacteria including: Borrelia burgdorferi, Bartonella henselae, Brucella species, Leptospira species, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Tropheryma whipplei | CSF | PCR | |
| Chlamydia, Chlamydophila | CSF | PCR | |
| Mycoplasma pneumoniae | CSF | PCR | |
| Rickettsia, Coxiella | CSF | PCR | |
| Other bacteria | 16S rRNA gene PCR | ||
| Parastrongylus (Angiostrongylus) cantonensis | CSF | CSF and peripheral eosinophilia, microscopy of CSF, | Travel history |
| Blood | Serology | ||
| Toxoplasma | CSF | PCR | If radiology indicates |
| Adenovirus | CSF | PCR | |
| Influenza | CSF | PCR | |
| Lyssavirus (ABLV) | CSF, saliva | PCR, antibodies | |
| Mumps, measles, Hendra virus | CSF, blood, urine | PCR, serology | |
| Parvovirus B19 | CSF | PCR | |
| RSV | Throat swab (CSF if positive) | PCR | |
| Rubella | CSF | PCR | Paired sera |
| Other viruses | CSF | Viral culture, SCID mice (PC3 laboratory) | Sequencing and identification by BLAST |
| Brain/post mortem tissue | |||
| Viruses | Unfixed brain tissue | Viral culture, histochemistry/ immunohistochemistry | |
| ADEM | Brain tissue | Histology | MRI |
ABLV, Australian bat lyssavirus; ADEM, acute disseminated encephalomyelitis; BLAST, Basic Local Alignment Search Tool; EEG, electro-encephalography; RNA, ribonucleic acid; RSV, respiratory syncytial virus; SCID, severe combined immunodeficiency.