INFECTIOUS DISEASES
Comprehensive disease testing
Through BioPharma Diagnostics, our partners have access to Mayo Clinic Laboratories’ infectious disease test catalog, including testing for:
- Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)
- Helicobacter pylori
- Infectious disease pathology
- Vector-borne diseases
- HIV and hepatitis
Our molecular testing methods include:
- Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing
- Advanced whole genome microbial sequencing
- Targeted metagenomic sequencing
- Matrix-assisted laser-desorption/ionization-time of flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry organism identification
In addition to using clinically available testing, BioPharma Diagnostics partners can access infectious disease testing for clinical trials and be among the first to use up-and-coming tests currently in development.
News and updates
The latest
In this episode of “Answers From the Lab,” host Bobbi Pritt, M.D., chair of the Division of Clinical Microbiology at Mayo Clinic, is joined by William Morice II, M.D., Ph.D., CEO and president of Mayo Clinic Laboratories, to discuss recent news about drug-resistant infections. Later, Paul Jannetto, Ph.D., director of the Clinical and Forensic Toxicology Lab, Clinical Mass Spectrometry Lab, and Metals Lab, joins Dr. Pritt for the deep dive segment. Together, they explore how diagnostics are shaping the future of therapeutics.
Nancy Wengenack, Ph.D. gives an overview of this test available through Mayo Clinic Laboratories. She discusses when this testing should be ordered, how this testing compares to other testing approaches, and what clinical action can be taken due to the results of this testing.
In this month’s “Hot Topic,” Elitza Theel, Ph.D., talks about Mayo Clinic Laboratories’ serologic and molecular testing for the identification of infection with dengue virus. Dengue virus poses a significant public health threat worldwide. Rapid and accurate identification of the infection enables directed monitoring of patients who may be at increased risk of developing hemorrhagic fever of dengue shock syndrome.
Antimicrobial susceptibility testing determines whether these bacteria are susceptible or resistant to a particular antibiotic. Bacteria are added onto plates of solid agar, where each plate has a different and increasing concentration of antibiotic than the previous plate. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) is the lowest concentration of an antimicrobial that inhibits growth of the bacteria.
Mayo Clinic Laboratories is one of the few laboratories in the country to offer two special sequencing-based tests for bacteria in its catalog. The first test is designed to help protect patients by investigating potential outbreaks of a single bacterial species or by identifying recurrent infections in an individual patient. The second has the ability to detect DNA of any bacteria to help identify the cause of an infection.
Blacklegged ticks (also known as deer ticks) are turning up more frequently in Minnesota, and so are the diseases they carry. Bobbi Pritt, a parasitologist in the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, weighs in on the issue.
Joseph Yao, M.D., gives an overview of this new test available through Mayo Clinic Laboratories. He discusses when this testing should be ordered, how this testing improves upon other testing approaches, and what clinical action can be taken due to the results of this testing.
In this month’s “Hot Topic,” Elitza Theel, Ph.D., will discuss diagnostic testing options for patients with suspected neuroinvasive Lyme disease or Lyme neuroborreliosis.
In this month’s “Hot Topic,” Elitza Theel, Ph.D. will discuss a new interferon-gamma release assay that can assist in the detection of individuals that are infected with tuberculosis.
In the war against microbes, human beings are vastly outnumbered—and losing the weapons race.
To help you learn more about Lyme disease, “The ABCs of Lyme Disease” flash cards include information about symptoms, treatment, and other important facts.
Teamwork is critical among staff from Mayo Clinic, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Minnesota Department of Health, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison in order to keep tabs on tick trends and defend against vector-borne diseases.
Bobbi Pritt, M.D., a Mayo Clinic parasitic diseases expert, says, as the last of the winter's snow melts, ticks start coming up from under the grass looking for a "blood meal." She says that this year, after a relatively mild winter, ticks got an early start. This means that tick season could be particularly busy. In this "Mayo Clinic Minute," Dr. Pritt explains an easy trick to remember the best ways to protect yourself from tick bites.