Rash EQA/PT Pilot Study

Rash is a common symptom in patients, particularly children, with a range of different aetiologies both infectious and non-infectious. Identification and differentiation is important between infectious causes both for patient management and infection and public health control to ensure if appropriate outbreak management is appropriately handled.

The Rash Pilot EQA pilot study aims to evaluate the molecular detection and identification of infectious agents associated with skin rashes and eruptions. The panel will include clinically relevant viral and bacterial pathogens such as Measles virus, Rubella virus, Parvovirus B19, and Streptococcus pyogenes. Participating laboratories will be required to test each panel using their routine molecular diagnostic methods and submit individual results to QCMD for assessment.