Whole Blood
Collect a minimum of 12 mL of blood.
Use three 4-mL or larger vacuum-fill only (unopened), nongel, purple-topped (ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid) tubes; use four tubes if using 3-mL tubes.
Using indelible ink, mark each purple-topped tube of blood in the order collected (e.g., #1, #2, #3, #4 [if using 3-mL tubes]).
Urine
Collect at least 25–50 mL from potentially exposed adults and children.
Use a screw-capped plastic container; do not overfill.
Freeze specimen as soon as possible (−70 °C or dry ice preferred).
Blanks
For each lot number of tubes and urine cups used for collection, provide the following to be used as blanks for measuring background contamination:
Two (2) empty, unopened purple-topped tubes.
Two (2) empty, unopened green- or gray-topped tubes.
Two (2) empty, unopened urine cups.