Clinical Testing

IBL’s clinical testing is performed primarily by the Clinical and Microbiology sections.  

The Clinical section includes both virology-serology and mycobacteriology laboratories. 

• Virology-serology laboratories provide screening, diagnostic, and confirmatory testing for diseases of public health concern, including sexually transmitted, vaccine-preventable, and emerging diseases. The laboratories also serve as Idaho’s primary reference laboratory in response to prevent the emergence and spread of communicable or unusual disease agents such as influenza, hantavirus, rabies, and norovirus. 
• IBL's mycobacteriology laboratory performs specimen processing and mycobacterial recovery using a combination of traditional culture and a rapid broth culture detection system. Mycobacterium identification techniques include DNA probes, fluorescent microscopy, and 16S sequence identification. IBL also has the capability for the direct detection of TB using molecular methods. 
• The reference bacteriology laboratory uses both conventional and innovative rapid methods to characterize and identify organisms in support of local health practitioners and national programs. 
• Molecular epidemiology focuses on the unique molecular characteristics of an organism to better understand its contribution to the etiology, distribution, and prevention of disease across a population. This laboratory is a key player in national disease surveillance systems that collect, monitor, and analyze molecular epidemiological data and serves as Idaho’s primary reference lab for gene sequence-based identification.