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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)

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 ducreyi

Culture

Exudates

Chlamydia

Chlamydia trachomatis

NAAT1, Culture, or Positive by any method

Endocervical, oropharyngeal, rectal, urethral, urine, or vaginal

Cholera

Vibrio cholerae

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 (STEC), including O157:H7

Shiga-toxin producing bacteria

Culture and identification1

Stool, blood, or urine

Ehrlichiosis/ Anaplasmosis

Ehrlichia chaffeensis

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 influenzae, invasive3

Haemophilus influenzae

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 pneumophila

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 meningitidis

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

Polio virus

Clinical diagnosis (Poliomyelitis), Culture (Poliovirus infection)

Stool, CSF, or oropharyngeal secretions

Poliovirus infection, nonparalytic

Polio virus

Culture

Stool, CSF, or oropharyngeal secretions

Psittacosis

Chlamydia psittaci

Culture, CF, ELISA, IFA, MIF, or PCR

Sputum, blood, or postmortem tissue

Q Fever

Coxiella burnetii

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 rickettsii and Rickettsia parkeri

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 pneumoniae, invasive3

Streptococcus pneumoniae

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 Test offered by Bureau of Clinical Laboratories (BCL)

2 Pure culture confirmation only by BCL

3 Normally sterile body site (e.g., blood, cerebrospinal fluid, joint, pleural, or pericaridal fluid)

CF - complement fixation

Culture - Isolation

CIA - Chemiluminescent immunoassay

CSF - Cerebrospinal fluid

DFA - Direct florescence assay

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