Microbiology Program

The Microbiology Program provides the following testing services:

• Bacteriology: Provides reference and clinical bacteriology services (such as identification and serotyping of bacterial pathogens that cause disease in humans) to many NH hospitals, physician's offices, and commercial laboratories. The lab provides identification of causative agents important for epidemiological investigation into foodborne outbreaks, and healthcare-associated infections.

• Biological Threats (Biothreat): Tests clinical and environmental samples for the presence of potential biothreat agents identified by the Federal Select Agent Program (FSAP); NH PHL is part of the Laboratory response Network for Biothreat Preparedness (LRN-B) and is funded by the Public Health Emergency preparedness (PHEP) cooperative agreement.

• Dairy Products: Tests milk and other dairy product samples produced in New Hampshire for compliance with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations regarding bacterial counts, pasteurization, composition, and presence of antibiotics.

• Food: Tests for the presence of bacteria in food, particularly those organisms known to cause foodborne illnesses such as Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes, and Shiga-toxin producing E. coli.  Foods also are tested for pH and water activity as needed for Homestead licensing purposes. When a foodborne disease outbreak is suspected, food samples are tested to assist with the investigation.

• Mycology: Tests reference cultures for the presence of any of the medically important yeast; clinical specimens of body tissues and fluids are accepted for examination, when appropriate.

• Rabies: Tests the presence of the rabies virus in animals suspected of infection. The rapid and accurate diagnosis of rabies infection is critical to the proper medical management of individuals exposed to infected animals.

• Shellfish and Growing Waters: Tests shellfish and their growing waters for bacteria and the toxin that causes paralytic shellfish poisoning to ensure the safety and quality of New Hampshire coastal region seafood products.

• Mycobacteriology/Tuberculosis (TB): Tests for mycobacteria including TB, a disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacteria which spread through the air from one person to another; specimens from suspect cases are tested to identify TB and atypical mycobacteria to determine which antibiotics will be most effective.