Quest Diagnostics debuts new test service for Zika virus

Quest Diagnostics on Wednesday unveiled a new antibody test service that helps medical professionals diagnose infection by the Zika virus.

Quest is using a test developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The test is authorized for emergency use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The CDC has licensed the test to Quest Diagnostics and other select laboratories to aid the response to the Zika emergency in the United States.

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Quest operates about 2,300 patient service centers across the U.S., with approximately 260 of these centers located in Florida, the first state to document cases of local transmission.

In addition, many health care providers can also collect patient specimens in their offices for testing by Quest Diagnostics, the company said in a statement. Quest Diagnostics serves half the physicians and hospitals in the United States each year.