Gastrointestinal Pathogens Panel
Many detectable gastrointestinal pathogens associated with infectious diarrhea are considered reportable communicable diseases by the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH).
In some Iowa facilities, testing methods for these pathogens are transitioning from conventional culture methods to molecular assays. These assays demonstrate very high sensitivity and specificity, and provide a more rapid alternative to diagnosis. The number and type of pathogen targets (bacterial, viral, parasitic) varies by manufacturer.
The State Hygienic Laboratory (SHL) performs culture confirmation, serotyping, and Pulse Field Gel Electrophoresis (PFGE) for Salmonella, Shigella, Vibrio, and any of the Shiga Toxin producing E. coli (includes E. coli O157:H7). For both public health surveillance purposes and tracking of potential foodborne outbreaks, if any of these specific organisms are identified, it is important to submit either a bacterial isolate or the original specimen in Cary-Blair or similar transport media to SHL for further workup.
For information pertaining to collecting and shipping specimens for culture confirmation and serotyping, visit SHL’s clinical test menu. Write “culture confirmation” anywhere on the applicable Test Request Form.
