Changes in Testing Services

• Saginaw County Health Department laboratory receives contract from MDCH to provide Chlamydia/gonorrhea testing.  Effective October 1, 2011, the Saginaw County Health Department began providing testing services for select agencies in Michigan.  Other agencies have been instructed to direct their specimens to the MDCH lab in Lansing for testing.  You may contact either Amy Peterson (313-345-4425) or Dr. James Rudrik (517-335-8063) for more information.
• Kalamazoo County Health Department to provide surge capacity testing for Norovirus testing.  Effective March 1, 2012, MDCH will consolidate most norovirus testing performed in support of outbreak investigations at our Lansing testing.  The Kalamazoo County Health Department Laboratory will continue to provide testing for outbreaks that occur in Kalamazoo County and will also provide surge capacity support to the MDCH laboratory.  Oakland and Saginaw Counties will also continue to provide norovirus testing services for outbreaks which occur in their respective counties.  Other agencies are encouraged to continue to coordinate the collection and submission of testing services through the MDCH Bureau of Epidemiology (517-335-8889)
• All bacterial foodborne testing services will be consolidated at the MDCH laboratory.  Effective January 2, 2012 all laboratory testing for bacterial foodborne agents will be consolidated at the MDCH laboratory.  This testing service is no longer available at Kalamazoo, Kent, and Saginaw Counties and the City of Detroit.  Please contact the MDCH laboratory at 517-335-8063 if the event this testing services are required in support  of a bacterial foodborne outbreak investigation.

updated 2/14/2012 

Newborn Screening Program Adds SCID Testing

The Michigan Newborn Screening Laboratory began testing for Severe Combined Immunodeficiency (SCID) on October 1, 2011.  Information can be found on the Michigan Newborn Screening Program page. 

updated 10/6/2011 

Virtual Tour Available

Have you ever wanted to tour the State Public Health Laboratory?  Take a virtual tour now by viewing our new video.  

updated 8/24/2011 

MDCH Laboratory Research Collaboration: ERIN     

The MDCH microbiology lab is collaborating with Michigan State University Enterics Research Investigational Network, Cooperative Research Center (MSU ERIN CRC) to study the impact that four common diarrheal pathogens have on the composition and function of host intestinal microbiome. MDCH will screen stools from cases and controls for EHEC, Salmonella , Campylobacter, Clostridium difficile, and Shigella and provide genetic and phenotypic characteristics . Beneficial microbial communities, microbes and microbial products important for preventing enteric disease will be identified, which in turn, could guide future prevention and treatment strategies.

updated 8/15/2011 

MDCH Announces Changes in Regional Laboratory QC Requirements

On 3/15/2011, the Michigan Regional Laboratory System (MRLS) announced changes to the Quality Control requirments for waived testing based upon the requirements of the test manufacturer.

Notice of change 
Letter to all MRLS participants 
Table of QC requirements 

updated 3/18/2011 

Michigan Regional Laboratory System Changes

For almost two decades the Michigan Regional Laboratory System (MRLS) has provided a structure of quality assurance for local public health agencies performing testing on human specimens in a non-traditional laboratory or point-of-care setting. The MRLS has enabled local public health agencies to meet the federal regulatory requirements of CLIA'88. However, in the years between the inception of MRLS and now, there have been profound changes in diagnostic technology and state and local public health resources.  Read more in the reorganizational letter below. 

Updated 3/17/2011

Test Menu Changes at the Bureau of Laboratories

Due to State Of Michigan General Fund cuts the Bureau of Laboratories has revised our test menu effective January 1, 2010. Submitters who have utilized services that are no longer available need to make alternate arrangements for testing. Additional information, e.g., anatomical sight of original specimen collected, should be included on the test requisition to avoid testing delays.

Also, effective January 1, 2010, MDCH laboratories will no longer contract with Kent County and City of Detroit to perform serum HIV antibody testing. Serum specimens should be sent directly to MCDH. Request test number 2000 (HIV serum antibody) on form DCH-0583. Additional information for HIV serum antibody testing is requested on the back side of the form. This must be completed for important surveillance activities. 

updated 12/8/2009 

Bureau of Laboratories Annual Reports

2010 Annual Report 
2009 Annual Report 
2008 Annual Report 

updated 03/31/2011 

Rev. 02/14/2012