On April 2, 2018, DSHS updated its testing guidance for pregnant women in Texas.
The guidance for testing non-pregnant residents remains the same.
Read the DSHS Health Alert for more information. Visit the Health Care Professionals page for information about caring for pregnant women and patients exposed to Zika.
Laboratory testing for Zika virus infection is available at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The DSHS Austin Laboratory is performing reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for Zika. Please review the Chikungunya, Dengue, and Zika PCR and Serology Specimen Criteria guidance document (75 kb, PDF) (updated Dec. 16, 2016) to facilitate laboratory testing of individuals meeting the testing criteria. Specimens submitted to the DSHS Austin Laboratory must be accompanied by a completed Chikungunya, Dengue, and Zika Testing Supplemental Information Form (65 kb, PDF) (updated Sept. 12, 2016)
On May 31, the CDC released interim guidance on Zika virus antibody testing and interpretation of results. Because of the differences in recommended clinical management of Zika and dengue virus infections, and the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes in women infected with Zika virus during pregnancy, a conservative approach to the interpretation of antibody test results is necessary to reduce the possibility of a missed diagnosis of either infections. The timing of IgM antibody testing and the thresholds of plaque reduction neutralization test (PRNT) have changed.
CDC will continue to update this guidance as these data are preliminary and as additional rRT-PCR data becomes available. For more information about this guidance, visit Interim Guidance for Interpretation of Zika Virus Antibody Test Results.
Additional guidelines for health care providers are on the Health Care Professionals page.
More information for state and local public health laboratories is on the CDC website.