The Clinical Microbiology section at Maine CDC's Health and
Environmental Testing Lab (HETL) validated 10 molecular biology assays in three
infectious disease categories in 2015. They include: vectorborne (anaplasma,
ehrlichia, babesia, Powassan, deer tick), antibiotic resistance (VRE
genotyping, MRSA genotyping) and respiratory (adenovirus, RSV, rhinovirus).
These new tests complement HETL’s testing menu for such as
infectious agents as West Nile virus and Chikungunya, carbapenemase genotyping,
influenza and pertussis. U.S. CDC, the National Institutes of Health
(NIH) and the World Health Organization (WHO) have all stated in the past year
that the fastest growing threat to public health is the globalization of
antibiotic resistance and vectorborne disease. The addition of these tests to
HETL’s menu highlights these statements.
Laboratory Information Submission Sheets (LSIS) are available on
HETL’s website: http://www.maine.gov/dhhs/mecdc/public-health-systems/health-and-environmental-testing/index.htm
