Limbic Encephalitis Antibodies (Blood & CSF)

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Testing Laboratory

Auckland Te Toka Tumai | Auckland Hospital

Department

Immunology

Delphic Registration Code (Alpha Code)

LEAB

Test Code (Numeric Code)

8581

Laboratory Handling

Phlebotomy

CSF, Serum

Transport

Ambient (8 - 24 °C) within 48 hours; Chilled (4 - 8 °C) if longer than 48 hours

Registration

LEAB

Laboratory

Labplus Autoimmune Serology

Sample Stability

Up to 48 hours: 8 - 24 °C; Up to 14 days: 4 - 8 °C; Up to 6 months: -30 °C; Indefinite at - 80 °C

Associated Tests

Synonyms

Autoimmune encephalitis antibodies
LE screen
Voltage-gated potassium channel, VGKC (LGI1, CASPR2)
NMDAR, GABA-B receptor, AMPA, DPPX, LGI1, CASPR2, IgLON5

Turnaround Time

2 days

This test may be vetted by the laboratory. Please include relevant clinical information on the request form to ensure appropriate tests are approved. See the 'Clinical Information' section below for more information on the indications for testing.

Specimen Type

  • CSF
  • Serum

Specimen Requirements

Tube/Container Type:

Preferred
  • CSF sterile tubes (Routine Analysis)
  • Plain (Red Top)
  • SST II (Gold Cap)
Preferred Sample Volume (ml)

3.5

Minimum Sample Volume (ml)

1

No of Samples Required

2

Paediatric Specimen Requirements

Tube/Container Type:

Preferred
  • CSF sterile tubes (Routine Analysis)
  • Plain (Red Top)
  • SST II (Gold Cap)
Acceptable
  • CSF sterile tubes (Routine Analysis)
  • Plain(Microtainer)
  • SST(Microtainer)
Minimum Sample Volume (ml)

1

Pre-testing Requirements

All patients referred for limbic encephalitis autoantibody testing must have been discussed with or reviewed by a neurologist; the name of the neurologist must appear on the request form. Testing will be deferred on all specimens where it is unclear if a neurology review has occurred or not. Urgent requests should be discussed directly with the immunopathologist.

Requests for limbic encephalitis autoantibodies must be accompanied by a completed Neuronal Autoantibody Request form. Please print a copy from the link below and complete before sending a sample to the laboratory.

Ensure request form has been scanned as staff need to determine the validity of the request before proceeding.

Additional Specimen Information

Ideally, paired serum and CSF should be sent for testing

Last updated: 14/08/2026