2.0 ml (1.0 ml) Amniotic fluid: Room Temperature;
1.0 ml (0.5 ml) Bone Marrow EDTA or ACD: Refrigerated; 
2.0 ml (1.0ml)  CSF: Refrigerated; 
3.0 ml (2.0 ml) PPT Plasma: Refrigerated;
3.0 ml (2.0ml)  Whole Blood Plasma EDTA: Refrigerated;
2.0 ml (1.0 ml) Whole Blood EDTA or ACD: Refrigerated;
2.0 ml (1.0 ml)  Serum: Refrigerated.

Amniotic fluid:  Discard first 2 ml, then collect 3-5 ml in a sterile plastic conical tube or one T-25 flask of confluent cells.
Whole Blood Plasma EDTA: separate plasma from red cells within 6 hours.

Whole Blood: in heparin;
Whole Blood Plasma EDTA:  not separated w/in 6 hrs; 
All:  insufficient volume or shipped at incorrect temperature.

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is a herpes virus that has been implicated in the development of lymphoid malignancies such as Burkitt’s lymphoma and Hodgkin’s disease.  Recent studies have demonstrated a direct relationship between EBV viral load and risk of developing post transplant lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD).  EBV DNA has been detected in cell-free fractions (plasma or serum) of patients with PTLD, Hodgkin’s, and AIDS-related lymphomas.  Conventional PCR-based allow only semi-quantitative results of viral DNA.  Real-time PCR allows the highly sensitive, specific and quantitative determination of EBV DNA.  Quantitative PCR of EBV DNA can be an important tool for early diagnosis of disease as well as a method to monitor response to treatment.  Real-time PCR has a greater dynamic range in which samples can be analyzed quantitatively without subsequent dilution.