The virology laboratory participates annually in the National Respiratory Surveillance Program. Throat swabs from patients with symptoms of influenza are collected by sentinel physicians across the state and submitted for viral isolation. Viruses are then identified by immunofluorescent testing and typed to determine the strains circulating. This information is provided to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to aid in vaccine development for the following season.
Tissue culture is available for all respiratory viruses, Herpes virus, Enterovirus, Adenovirus, CMV and others for the purpose of medical diagnosis and/or disease surveillance.
Other tests offered include: direct antigen detection for respiratory viruses and rabies testing for human and pet exposures; serologic testing (IgG and IgM) for Hantavirus, Borrelia burgdorferi (the causative agent of Lyme disease), Rickettsial infections (tick-borne diseases), vaccine preventable diseases (measles, mumps, chicken pox), as well as respiratory viruses, HSV, CMV and others.
For More Information Contact: Vacant, Medical Microbiology Supervisor
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