Publication date: 20 May 2009. Specimen storage.

Specimens in viral transport medium for viral isolation should be kept at 4 °C and transported to the laboratory promptly. If specimens are transported to the laboratory within 2 days, they may be kept at 4 °C; otherwise they should be frozen at or below –70 °C until they can be transported to the laboratory. Repeated freezing and thawing must be avoided to prevent loss of infectivity. Sera may be stored at 4 °C for approximately one week, but thereafter should be frozen at –20 °C.

This manual is a revised edition of "Manual de mantenimiento para equipo de laboratorio" (PAHO, 2005) translated from Spanish into English. Revisions include additional chapters on laboratory equipment commonly used in some laboratories and updates allowing global use of the manual.

This document provides information on the diagnostics available as of the above date for the human influenza A (H1N1) A/California/4/2009-like viruses. Further diagnostic information will be updated when available.