Vector-borne diseases (VBD) are viruses and bacteria spread by vectors, such as mosquitoes, ticks and fleas, and they can cause a variety of illnesses in humans. The vectors ingest the microorganisms from an infected host and transmit to a new host through a bite. Public health laboratories are integral to performing high quality testing for VBDs to assess regional disease burden and inform the nation's response to vector-borne diseases.
APHL in collaboration with CDC's Division of Vector-Borne Diseases established a Shared Service Pilot to offer arbovirus testing for public health laboratories (PHLs) at no charge. This testing is meant to be complementary to testing still available at CDC including all serology (IgM and PRNT) for endemic arboviruses (excluding Heartland virus and Bourbon virus), dengue virus (molecular and serology) and PRNT for many arboviruses.
New York State Department of Health-Wadsworth Center is serving as the testing laboratory and all submitters must follow their instructions regarding electronic test ordering and specimen requirements. To submit samples PHLs must be enrolled in the Health Commerce System (HCS) and have access to the Clinical Laboratory Information Management System (CLIMS) Application. For more details see Shipping and Submission Instructions below.
RESOURCES
QUESTIONS
- About Enrollment/Shared Service Usage: [email protected]
- About Testing ore Results at Wadsworth: [email protected]
- If you are not sure whether to send to Wadsworth or CDC for testing you may contact the
CDC’s Division of Vector-borne Diseases-Arboviral Diseases Branch Epidemiologists at: [email protected]
Currently, APHL is monitoring a few VBDs of public health concern with increasing cases globally. Domestically, these viruses are predominantly seen in travelers returning to the US. Some local transmission can and has occurred and public health laboratories need to be prepared.
View current and historical arboviral Infection data-CDC's ArboNet.
Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) activity is increasing internationally and we are working with federal partners to monitor for local transmission in the US. CDC has recently issued travel health notices for a number of locations. Visit Travel Health Notices for the most updated information.
TESTING RESOURCES
2024-2025 saw an unprecedented number of dengue virus (DENV) cases (CDC Situation Summary). State and local public health laboratories diagnose suspected dengue cases through molecular methods and serology, including PRNT. There are five FDA-cleared (or EUA-authorized) tests available; two nucleic acid amplification tests (NAAT) from CDC Trioplex Real-Time RT-PCR Assay (EUA) and CDC DENV 1-4 rRT-PCR Multiplex Assay (510K), two serologic assays from InBios International-IgM ELISA and NS1 ELISA and the BioFire global fever panel. The CDC NAAT methods are currently available to public health laboratories ([email protected]), while the other assays are commercially available. Commercial laboratories also offer testing for DENV.
Following a number of US-based cases of oropouche virus (OROV) in 2024-2025, CDC and a few public health laboratories have implemented in-house testing capacity to detect OROV in suspected cases (molecular or PRNT). Commercial testing is also available at:
Mosquito Pool Testing Training Videos
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Visit the APHL Training Hub to search our training materials, access courses through the APHL Learning Center, and find upcoming webinars via the Event Calendar.
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