SEE ALSO:
Communicable Diseases
COVID-19
Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAI)
Influenza (Flu)
Legionella
Mpox
Mosquito-Borne Diseases
Tick-borne Diseases
Toxicology
Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers
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TEST
The DETECT (Decrease Epidemiological Threats with Environmental Controls and Testing), TEST (Take Epidemiological Specimens Today), and REPORT (Rules for Every Provider and Organization to Report on Time) Notifiable Diseases awareness campaign emphasizes different disease control actions needed to reduce the impact of Alabama's reportable diseases and create a robust notifiable disease system. TEST Notifiable Disease involves taking a timely specimen, ordering the appropriate lab test, and utilizing the proper lab test method to determine if a patient meets the notifiable disease case definition.
Bureau of Clinical Laboratories (BCL)
- Learn how to pack and ship specimens to be tested at the BCL.
- Analytes offered by BCL
Alabama Notifiable Diseases and CDC Recommended Test Methods and Specimen Type
Disease |
Organism |
CDC Recommended Test Methods* |
CDC Recommended Specimen Type* |
Anthrax |
Bacillus anthracis |
Culture1, IHC, or PCR1 |
Blood or sputum |
Arboviral |
Eastern Equine Encephalitis, St Louis and West Nile Virus |
Culture, ELISA1, IFA, or PCR |
Blood, serum, or CSF |
Babesiosis |
Babesia spp. |
Culture, ELISA, IFA, Microscopy1, or PCR |
Blood |
Botulism |
Clostridium botulinum |
Culture and identification1, or Mouse bioassay1 |
Stool |
Brucellosis |
Brucella spp. |
Culture and identification1, ELISA1, IFA, or PCR |
Blood |
Campylobacteriosis |
Campylobacter spp. |
Culture2, ELISA, IFA, or PCR |
Stool |
Chancroid |
Haemophilus |
Culture |
Exudates |
Chlamydia |
Chlamydia trachomatis |
NAAT1, Culture, or Positive by any method |
Endocervical, oropharyngeal, rectal, urethral, urine, or vaginal |
Cholera |
Vibrio |
Culture2, ELISA, or IFA |
Stool |
Cryptosporidiosis |
Cryptosporidium |
Microscopy1, DFA, or PCR |
Stool |
Dengue |
Dengue virus |
Culture, ELISA, IHC, or PCR |
Blood or serum |
Diphtheria |
Corynebacterium diphtheriae |
Culture and identification1 |
Throat or nasopharynx swab or cutaneous lesion |
E. coli, |
Shiga-toxin producing bacteria |
Culture and identification1 |
Stool, blood, or urine |
Ehrlichiosis/ Anaplasmosis |
Ehrlichia |
Culture, IFA, IHC, Microscopy or PCR |
Blood |
Encephalitis, viral |
Culture, ELISA, IFA, or PCR |
Blood, serum, and CSF |
|
Giardiasis |
Giardia lamblia |
DFA, EIA, Microscopy1, or PCR |
Stool |
Gonorrhea |
Neisseria gonorrhoeae |
NAAT1, Culture, DFA,or Gram Stain Positive by any method |
Endocervical, oropharyngeal, rectal, urethral, urine, or vaginal |
Hansen's Disease (Leprosy) |
Mycobacterium leprae |
Microscopy |
Skin smears |
Hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), post-diarrheal |
N/A |
Clinical Diagnosis |
N/A |
Hepatitis A |
Hepatitis A |
Serology IgM |
Blood or Serum |
Hepatitis B (Acute and Perinatal) |
Hepatitis B |
Serology1 |
Serum |
Hepatitis C |
Hepatitis C |
HCV antibody, nucleic acid test (NAT) for HCV RNA including qualitative, quantitative or genotype testing |
Serum |
Hepatitis, other |
Hepatitis virus |
Serology or PCR |
Serum |
Haemophilus |
Haemophilus |
Culture and identification1 |
Blood, CSF, or from any sterile site listed below |
HIV/AIDS |
Human immunodeficiency virus |
Positive results confirmed by supplemental HIV antibody test, including type differentiating (e.g.Multispot1, Western blot, IFA), detectable quantities from all HIV nucleic acid detection test results, positive HIV p24 antigen test (including neutralization assay), positive HIV isolation (viral culture). All CD4 counts and viral load test results regardless of quantity or detection levels |
Blood |
Influenza-associated pediatric death |
Influenza virus |
Culture, HAI, IFA, IHC, or PCR1 |
Nasopharyngeal aspirate or wash, or throat swab |
Lead |
Lead |
GFAS1 |
Blood |
Legionellosis |
Legionella |
Culture1, DFA, ELISA, IFA, IHC, or PCR |
Blood, sputum, or bronchoalveolar lavage |
Leptospirosis |
Leptospira |
Culture, DFA, or Serology |
Blood, culture, or urine |
Listeriosis |
Listeria monocytogenes |
Culture and identification1 |
Blood, CSF, or stool |
Lyme disease |
Borrelia burgdorferi |
Culture, EIA, IFA, or Serology |
Blood |
Malaria |
Plasmodium spp. |
Microscopy1or PCR1 |
Blood |
Measles |
Rubeola |
Culture, Serology IgM, or PCR |
Blood or serum, Urine, Nasophayngeal, or Throat Swab |
Meningococcal disease (invasive)3 |
Neisseria |
Culture2 |
Blood, CSF, or from any sterile site listed below |
Mumps |
Mumps virus |
Culture, Serology IgM, or PCR |
Blood, Buccal Swab, Nasopharyngeal, or throat swab |
Novel influenza A virus |
Influenza A virus |
CDC only |
Nasopharyngeal aspirate or wash, or throat swab |
Pertussis |
Bordetella pertussis |
Culture1 or PCR1 |
Nasopharyngeal aspirate or wash, or throat swab |
Plague |
Yersinia pestis |
Culture1 or Serology1 |
Aspirate from bubo, sputum or CSF |
Poliomyelitis, paralytic |
|
Clinical diagnosis (Poliomyelitis), Culture (Poliovirus infection) |
Stool, CSF, or oropharyngeal secretions |
Poliovirus infection, nonparalytic |
|
Culture |
Stool, CSF, or oropharyngeal secretions |
Psittacosis |
Chlamydia psittaci |
Culture, CF, ELISA, IFA, MIF, or PCR |
Sputum, blood, or postmortem tissue |
Q Fever |
Coxiella |
ELISA, IFA, IHC, LA, or PCR1 |
Blood or serum |
Rabies, human and animal |
Lyssavirus |
Human2 , Animal- DFA1 or Culture |
Human - Skin section, serum, CSF, or saliva. Animal - Whole brain |
Rubella |
Rubella virus |
Culture, PCR, or Serology IgM |
Blood or serum |
Salmonellosis |
Salmonella app. |
Culture1 |
Stool, blood, or urine |
SARS-associated Coronavirus |
SARS-CoV |
Culture, ELISA, or PCR |
Nasopharyngeal aspirate or stool |
Shigellosis |
Shigella spp. |
Culture1 |
Stool, blood, or urine |
Spotted Fever Rickettsioses |
Rickettsia |
Culture, IFA, IHC, or PCR |
Serum |
Staph aureus, Vancomycin-intermediate (VISA) |
Staphylococcus aureus |
Culture |
Blood, throat, CSF, or wound |
Staph aureus, Vancomycin-resistance (VRSA) |
Staphylococcus aureus |
Culture |
Blood, throat, CSF, or wound |
Strep |
Streptococcus |
Culture2 |
Blood, CSF, or from any sterile site listed below |
Smallpox |
Variola virus |
CDC Only |
Vesicular or pustular fluid |
Syphilis |
Treponema pallidum |
EIA1, RPR, VDRL1, TPPA1, or Darkfield Microscopy Positive by any method |
Blood, serum, CSF, or lesion |
Tetanus |
Clostridium tetani |
Clinical diagnosis |
N/A |
Trichinellosis |
Trichinella |
Serology |
Blood and muscle biopsy |
Tuberculosis |
Mycobacterium tuberculosis |
Culture1, Microscopy1, or PCR |
Respiratory, tissue, body fluid, or CSF |
Tularemia |
Francisella tularensis |
Culture1 or Serology |
Blood or serum |
Typhoid fever |
Salmonella typhi |
Culture1 and PCR |
Stool, blood, or urine |
Varicella |
Varicella virus |
Culture, DFA, Serology, or PCR1 |
Lesion |
Vibriosis |
Non-cholera Vibrio spp. |
Culture 2 |
Stool, wound or blood |
Viral hemorrhagic fever |
Crimean-Congo, Ebola, Lassa, Lujo, Marburg, and new world arenaviruses |
Culture, ELISA, IHC, or PCR |
Blood |
Yellow fever |
Yellow fever virus |
ELISA, Hybridization probes, PCR, or Serology |
Blood |
Key
* To confirm cases based on CDC case definitions
1
2 Pure culture confirmation only by BCL
3 Normally sterile body site (e.g., blood, cerebrospinal fluid, joint, pleural, or
CF - complement fixation
Culture - Isolation
CIA - Chemiluminescent immunoassay
CSF - Cerebrospinal fluid
DFA - Direct
ELISA/EIA - Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay/enzyme immunoassay
EM - Electron microscopy
GFAS - Graphite furnace absorption
HAI - Hemagglutination inhibition
IFA - Immunofluorescence assay
IHC - Immunohistochemistry
LA - Latex agglutination
MAT - Microagglutination test
MIF - Microimmunofluorescence
Microscopy
PCR - Polymerase chain reaction (nucleic acid amplification)
RIBA - Recombinant immunoblot assay
RDT- Rapid diagnostic test, (i.e., antigen test or agglutination test)
Western blot - Immunoblot
Page last updated: March 22, 2024
SEE ALSO:
Communicable Diseases
COVID-19
Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAI)
Influenza (Flu)
Legionella
Mpox
Mosquito-Borne Diseases
Tick-borne Diseases
Toxicology
Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers
NEED HELP?
Having trouble finding what you are looking for? Use our A to Z Index.