Journal of virological methods
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Detection of Zika virus (ZIKV) RNA in urine is of increasing interest for the diagnosis of ZIKV infection. Pre-analytical variables can significantly impact the stability of RNA in urine. ⋯ ZIKV RNA is prone to degradation in urine with loss of detectable virus even when specimens are frozen at -80°C for 10days. Detection of ZIKV-positive urine samples, particularly those containing low ZIKV titers may be aided with the addition of a nucleic acid stabilizer during urine specimen processing.