Vector-Borne Diseases

In this episode of “Answers From the Lab,” host Bobbi Pritt, M.D., chair of the Division of Clinical Microbiology at Mayo Clinic, and William Morice II, M.D., Ph.D., CEO and president of Mayo Clinic Laboratories, discuss troublesome organisms making headlines.

By Jessie Fenske • September 11, 2025

In this episode of “Answers From the Lab,” host Bobbi Pritt, M.D., chair of the Division of Clinical Microbiology at Mayo Clinic, and Matthew Binnicker, Ph.D., a microbiologist and virologist and chief scientific officer of Mayo Clinic Laboratories, discuss recent developments in viral infections.

By Jessie Fenske • August 28, 2025

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 Elitza Theel, Ph.D., director of the Infectious Diseases Serology Laboratory at Mayo Clinic, for a timely discussion on tick-borne diseases.

By Jessie Fenske • July 31, 2025

The increased prevalence of certain tick- and mosquito-borne illnesses, the benefits of an algorithmic testing approach, and the growing importance of co-infection testing.

By MCL Education • June 30, 2025

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 tick-borne diseases.

By Jessie Fenske • May 8, 2025

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. They discuss what’s new and ongoing with pathogens and infections.

By Luci Gens • August 15, 2024

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 Elitza Theel, Ph.D., director of the Infectious Diseases Serology Laboratory at Mayo Clinic, to discuss the increase of dengue cases in the United States and around the world.

By Luci Gens • July 25, 2024

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 Elitza Theel, Ph.D., director of the Infectious Diseases Serology Laboratory at Mayo Clinic, to discuss tick-borne diseases and the latest testing options.

By Luci Gens • April 11, 2024

Bobbi Pritt, M.D., explains how Mayo Clinic Laboratories' new assay identifies less-common tick-borne bacteria in whole blood. The assay is recommended when tick-borne bacterial infection is suspected but standard testing is unrevealing.

By Barbara J. Toman • April 2, 2024

In this episode of “Answers From the Lab,” host Bobbi Pritt, M.D., chair of the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology at Mayo Clinic, is joined by William Morice II, M.D., Ph.D., CEO and president of Mayo Clinic Laboratories, to talk about the tick season peak that parts of the United States are experiencing, and how to diagnose and prevent Lyme disease.

By Suzanne Ferguson • June 15, 2023

In this month's "Hot Topic," Elitza Theel, Ph.D., will be discussing laboratory utilization management, specifically for diagnostic testing for tick-borne diseases.

By MCL Education • May 2, 2022

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.

By MCL Education • January 6, 2020

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.

By Molly Dee • June 4, 2019