Mayo Clinic Laboratories to commence testing for monkeypox using CDC's orthopoxvirus test

Reviewed by Emily Henderson, B.Sc.Jul 13 2022

Starting today, Mayo Clinic Laboratories will begin testing for monkeypox using CDC's orthopoxvirus test, which detects most non-smallpox related orthopoxviruses, including monkeypox.

The ability of commercial laboratories to test for monkeypox is an important pillar in our comprehensive strategy to combat this disease. This will not only increase testing capacity but also make it more convenient for providers and patients to access tests by using existing provider-to-laboratory networks."

Rochelle Walensky, M.D., M.P.H., CDC Director

Mayo Clinic Laboratories will offer this testing at its Mayo Clinic's Division of Clinical Microbiology laboratories in Rochester, Minn., and can accept specimens from anywhere in the country. Mayo Clinic Laboratories expects to be able to perform up to 10,000 tests per week, which will continue to increase the current capacity provided through CDC's Laboratory Response Network (LRN) and Labcorp, which began testing last week.

On June 22, HHS announced that five commercial laboratory companies would soon begin offering monkeypox testing. Since then, CDC has shipped the tests to the laboratories and their employees have been trained on their administration, among other steps.

Anyone with a rash that looks like monkeypox should talk to their healthcare provider about whether they need to get tested, even if they don't think they had contact with someone who has monkeypox. Healthcare providers, nationwide, can order the orthopoxvirus test from Mayo Clinic Laboratories just as they normally would order other tests. The public will not be able to go to a Mayo Clinic laboratory and submit a specimen. Mayo Clinic Laboratories will use electronic laboratory reporting to report results to jurisdictions as outlined in the CDC reporting guidance.

CDC anticipates additional commercial laboratories will come online in the coming days, and monkeypox testing capacity will continue to increase throughout the month of July. Healthcare providers can access information on Mayo Clinic Laboratories' test at https://news.mayocliniclabs.com/. The latest CDC information on monkeypox is available at www.cdc.gov/monkeypox.