MICROBIOLOGY

Our mission is to provide quality public health microbiological services for our providers and to support public health activities in control and prevention of communicable diseases.

Agencies served include County Health Departments, private physicians, hospitals including VA medical centers and private laboratories.

BACTERIOLOGY

• Identifies bacteria referred from other agencies.
• Serotypes Salmonella, Shigella, Neisseria meningitidis, Haemophilis influenzae, Streptococcus groups A, B, C, D, F, and G, Streptococcus pneumoniae and Escherichia coli.
• Provides bacteriological laboratory support for epidemiological investigation of suspected foodborne disease outbreaks.
• Processes Jembec agar plate culture and urogenitial slides for Neisseria gonorrhea (GC).
• Perform culture identification and PCR testing for Bordetella pertussis (whooping cough).
  • Epidemiology Reporting Guidelines and Protocols
• Examines autopsy materials from the WV Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.
• Performs culturing of stool samples for the isolation and identification of enteric pathogens associated with foodborne diseases including Salmonella, Shigella, Campylobacter, Escherichia coli.
• Refers unusual specimens to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta.

Bacteriology specimen collection instructions and required form(s)

Transport Guidelines for Fastidious Organisms

PARASITOLOGY

• Processes stool specimens for detection and identification of intestinal parasites which includes, but are not limited to: protozoans, nematodes, cestodes and trematodes (roundworms, tapeworms and flukes).
• Examines cellulose tape mounts for the presence or absence of pinworms (Enterobius vermicularis) and pinworm eggs.
• Refers blood smears for malaria and other blood parasites to CDC.

Parasitology specimen collection instructions and required form(s)

FOODS

• Performs examination of food products for bacterial contamination and food filth (any miscellaneous extraneous materials found in commercial food products.)

Foods specimen collection instructions and required form(s)

Prior approval is required for Food Testing. 
Please contact Microbiology at 304-558-3530 x2602

MOLECULAR

• Performs Pulsed-Field Gel Electrophoresis (PFGE) on possible foodborne disease outbreak specimens.  Routine surveillance is performed on all Salmonella serotypes, Shigella species and Escherichia coli.  Other organisms are examined as needed.
• Results are submitted to PulseNet (The National Molecular Subtyping Network for Foodborne Disease Surveillance) and Epidemiology.
• Perform RT-PCR testing for Noroviruses

Collection and Transport Guidelines for Norovirus Testing

RELATED LINKS

WV Epidemiology Guidelines and Protocols (IDEP)
Health Topics - Provides information on topics significant to health and well-being.
Disease Listings - Provides an alphabetical list of diseases with both technical and general information.
FDA - Provides information on food safety.
CDC Division of Parasitic Diseases - Provides information on parasitic diseases.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Microbiology Section
Ph. 304-558-3530 x2602
Fx. 304-558-6210

Christi Clark M (ASCP)
Microbiologist Supervisor
christiclark@wvdhhr.org
304-558-3530 x2610