About CDC's Streptococcus Laboratory

Key points

  • CDC's Streptococcus Laboratory works on streptococci and other Gram-positive catalase-negative cocci.
  • The laboratory is a reference center that supports U.S. health departments and collaborates with many international partners.
  • CDC laboratorians can assist health departments and public health laboratory workers upon request.

More Information

For Everyone Public Health
A laboratory worker cultures streptococci.

Our work

CDC's Streptococcus Laboratory focuses on multiple pathogens, including

Priorities

Key activities for CDC's Streptococcus Laboratory include:

  • Supporting active population-based surveillance for invasive disease
  • Helping U.S. laboratories, including in response to outbreaks
  • Building international laboratory capacity
  • Researching special topics

Surveillance

Related to its pathogens, the laboratory supports Active Bacterial Core surveillance (ABCs) by performing whole-genome sequence-based typing and characterization of isolates. This work includes:

  • Serotyping or emm typing
  • Antimicrobial susceptibility testing
  • Strain characterization
Keep Reading: Active Bacterial Core surveillance (ABCs)

Laboratory support

CDC's Streptococcus Laboratory supports public health departments and laboratories upon request. The laboratory can type and characterize isolates that meet certain criteria.

Keep Reading: Request Streptococcal Testing

CDC can also provide training to public health laboratory staff interested in developing typing capacity using one of the following approaches:

  • Polymerase chain reaction
  • Whole-genome sequencing

E-mail StrepLab@cdc.gov for more information.

Resources

Related diseases and public health issues

Other laboratory resources

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Content Source:
National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases; Division of Bacterial Diseases