Mayo Clinic Offering Monkeypox Testing

Mayo Clinic Laboratories is now able to test for monkeypox using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) orthopoxvirus test kit, which can be used to detect most non-smallpox related orthopoxviruses, including Monkeypox

The news comes on the heels of the Department of Health and Human Services naming Mayo Clinic Laboratories as a “crucial resource” to address monkeypox testing access in communities throughout the country. Mayo Clinic Laboratories is one of five commercial laboratory companies chosen to offer monkeypox testing. 

“The ability for commercial laboratories to test for monkeypox is an important pillar in our comprehensive strategy to combat this disease,” said CDC director Rochelle Walensky, M.D., M.P.H. “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.”.

The lab is able to perform up to 10,000 tests per week and is able to accept specimens from anywhere in the country.

The current outbreak of monkeypox, a rare viral disease that is transmitted via contact with lesions, respiratory droplets, and contaminated materials, is raising concern – cases are being detected in countries that usually do not have monkeypox. The disease is historically linked to living or traveling in West and Central Africa through contact with animals, which is where it originated.

As of this week, there have been ten reported cases of monkeypox in Minnesota, according to the Department of Health. The first case was reported in the Twin Cities on June 27.

Mayo Clinic’s Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology is experienced in testing for rare and infectious diseases. Patients are able to access testing through any health care professionals who use Mayo Clinic Laboratories as their reference laboratory.

Anyone with a rash that looks like monkeypox should consult their healthcare professional for additional testing, even if they do not believe they were exposed, according to the CDC.