 TEST Notifiable Disease
The DETECT (Decrease Epidemiological Threats with Environmental Controls and Testing), TEST (Take Epidemiological Specimens Today), and REPORT (Rules for Every Provider and Organization to Report on Time) Notifiable Diseases awareness campaign emphasizes different disease control actions needed to reduce the impact of Alabama's reportable diseases and create a robust notifiable disease system.
TEST Notifiable Disease involves taking a timely specimen, ordering the appropriate lab test, and utilizing the proper lab test method are all critical in determining if a patient has a notifiable disease. Please see the Bureau of Clinical Laboratories (BCL) for more information about lab tests or if you have any lab questions.
Below are the Alabama Notifiable Diseases and the recommended method for testing each disease. Please see REPORT Notifiable Disease for complete disease case definitions.
Disease |
Organism |
CDC Required Test Methods* |
CDC Required Specimen Type* |
|
Anthrax |
Bacillus anthracis |
Culture1, IHC, or PCR1 |
Blood or sputum |
|
Arboviral |
Eastern Equine Encephalitis, St Louis and West Nile Virus |
Culture, ELISA1, IFA, or PCR |
Blood, serum, or CSF |
|
Babesiosis |
Babesia spp. |
Culture, ELISA, IFA, Microscopy1, or PCR |
Blood |
|
Botulism |
Clostridium botulinum |
Culture and identification1, or Mouse bioassay1 |
Stool |
|
Brucellosis |
Brucella spp. |
Culture and identification1, ELISA1, IFA, or PCR |
Blood |
|
Campylobacteriosis |
Campylobacter spp. |
Culture2, ELISA, IFA, or PCR |
Stool |
|
Chancroid |
Haemophilus ducreyi |
Culture1 |
Exudates |
|
Chlamydia |
Chlamydia trachomatis |
DNA Probe1 |
Urine or Urethral, Endo-cervical,or Vaginal Swab |
|
Cholera |
Vibrio cholerae |
Culture2, ELISA, or IFA |
Stool |
|
Cryptosporidiosis |
Cryptosporidium |
Microscopy1, DFA, or PCR |
Stool |
|
Dengue |
Dengue virus |
Culture, ELISA, IHC, or PCR |
Blood/serum |
|
Diphtheria |
Corynebacterium diphtheriae |
Culture and identification1 |
Throat or nasopharynx swab or cutaneous lesion |
|
E. coli, shiga-toxin producing (STEC), including O157:H7 |
Shiga-toxin producing bacteria |
Culture and identification1 |
Stool, blood, or urine |
|
Ehrlichiosis/ Anaplasmosis |
Ehrlichia chaffeensis |
Culture, IFA, IHC, Microscopy or PCR |
Blood |
|
Encephalitis, viral |
|
Culture, ELISA, IFA, or PCR |
Blood, serum, and CSF |
|
Giardiasis |
Giardia lamblia |
DFA, EIA, Microscopy1, or PCR |
Stool |
|
Gonorrhea |
Neisseria gonorrhoeae |
Culture, DNA Probe1, Microscopy, or PCR |
Blood, genital discharge, or CSF |
|
Hansen's Disease (Leprosy) |
Mycobacterium leprae |
Microscopy |
Skin smears |
|
Hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), post-diarrheal |
N/A |
Clinical Diagnosis |
N/A |
|
Hepatitis A |
Hepatitis A |
Serology |
Serum |
|
Hepatitis B |
Hepatitis B |
Serology1 or PCR |
Serum |
|
Hepatitis C |
Hepatitis C |
Serology, PCR, or RIBA |
Serum |
|
Hepatitis, other |
Hepatitis virus |
Serology or PCR |
Serum |
|
Haemophilus influenzae, invasive |
Haemophilus influenzae |
Culture and identification2 |
Blood, CSF, bronchoalveolar lavage, or conjunctival swab |
|
Histoplasmosis |
Histoplasma capsulatum |
Microscopy or CF |
Respiratory, tissue, body fluid, or CSF |
|
HIV/AIDS |
Human immunodeficiency virus |
Culture, EIA + Westen blot, PCR, or HIVp24 |
Blood |
|
Influenza-associated pediatric death |
Influenza virus |
Culture, HAI, IFA, IHC, or PCR1 |
Nasopharyngeal aspirate or wash, or throat swab |
|
Lead |
Lead |
GFAS1 |
Blood |
|
Legionellosis |
Legionella pneumophila |
Culture1, DFA, ELISA, IFA, IHC, or PCR |
Blood, sputum, or bronchoalveolar lavage |
|
Leptospirosis |
Leptospira |
Culture, DFA, or Serology |
Blood, culture, or urine |
|
Listeriosis |
Listeria monocytogenes |
Culture and identification1 |
Blood, CSF, or stool |
|
Lyme disease |
Borrelia burgdorferi |
Culture, EIA, IFA, or Serology |
Blood |
|
Malaria |
Plasmodium spp. |
Microscopy1 or PCR1 |
Blood |
|
Measles |
Rubeola |
Culture, Serology1, or PCR |
Blood or serum |
|
Meningococcal disease |
Neisseria meningitidis |
Culture2 |
Blood, CSF, bronchoalveolar lavage, or nasopharyngeal or oropharyngeal swab |
|
Mumps |
Mumps virus |
Culture, Serology, or PCR |
Blood |
|
Novel influenza A virus |
Influenza A virus |
CDC only |
Nasopharyngeal aspirate or wash, or throat swab |
|
Pertussis |
Bordetella pertussis |
Culture1 or PCR1 |
Nasopharyngeal aspirate, wash, or swab |
|
Plague |
Yersinia pestis |
Culture1 or Serology1 |
Aspirate from bubo, sputum or CSF |
|
Poliomyelitis, paralytic |
Polio virus |
Clinical diagnosis |
Stool, CSF, or oropharyngeal secretions |
|
Poliovirus infection, nonparalytic |
Polio virus |
Culture |
Stool, CSF, or oropharyngeal secretions |
|
Psittacosis |
Chlamydia psittaci |
Culture, CF, ELISA, IFA, MIF, or PCR |
Sputum, blood, or postmortem tissue |
|
Q Fever |
Coxiella burnetii |
ELISA, IFA, IHC, LA, or PCR1 |
Blood or serum |
|
Rabies, human and animal |
Lyssavirus |
Human2 , Animal- DFA1 or Culture |
Human - Skin section, serum, CSF, or saliva. Animal - Whole brain |
|
Rubella |
Rubella virus |
Culture, PCR, or Serology |
Blood or serum |
|
Salmonellosis |
Salmonella app. |
Culture1 |
Stool, blood, or urine |
|
SARS-associated Coronavirus |
SARS-CoV |
Culture, ELISA, or PCR |
Nasopharyngeal aspirate or stool |
|
Shigellosis |
Shigella spp. |
Culture1 |
Stool, blood, or urine |
|
Spotted Fever Rickettsioses |
Rickettsia rickettsii and Rickettsia parkeri |
Culture, IFA, IHC, or PCR |
Serum |
|
Staph aureus, Vancomycin-intermediate (VISA) |
Staphylococcus aureus |
Culture |
Blood, throat, or CSF |
|
Staph aureus, Vancomycin-resistance (VRSA) |
Staphylococcus aureus |
Culture |
Blood, throat, or CSF |
|
Strep pneumoniae, invasive |
Streptococcus pneumoniae |
Culture2 |
Blood, CSF, or joint, pleural, or pericardial fluid |
|
Smallpox |
Variola virus |
CDC Only |
Vesicular or pustular fluid |
|
Syphilis |
Treponema pallidum |
ELISA or Microscopy |
Blood or serum |
|
Tetanus |
Clostridium tetani |
Clinical diagnosis |
N/A |
|
Toxic shock syndrome |
Group A Streptococcus |
Culture |
Blood, CSF, or peritoneal |
|
Trichinellosis |
Trichinella |
Serology |
Blood and muscle biopsy |
|
Tuberculosis |
Mycobacterium tuberculosis |
Culture1, Microscopy1, or PCR |
Respiratory, tissue, body fluid, or CSF |
|
Tularemia |
Francisella tularensis |
Culture1 or Serology |
Blood or serum |
|
Typhoid fever |
Salmonella typhi |
Culture1 and PCR |
Stool, blood, or urine |
|
Varicella |
Varicella virus |
Culture, DFA, Serology, or PCR1 |
Lesion |
|
Vibriosis |
Non-cholera Vibrio spp. |
Culture 2 |
Stool, wound or blood |
|
Viral hemorrhagic fever |
Crimean-Congo, Ebola, Lassa, Lujo, Marburg, and new world arenaviruses |
Culture, ELISA, IHC, or PCR |
Blood |
|
Yellow fever |
Yellow fever virus |
ELISA, Hybridization probes, PCR, or Serology |
Blood |
Key
|
* To confirm cases based on CDC case definitions |
|
1 Test offered by Bureau of Clinical Laboratories (BCL) |
|
2 Pure culture confirmation only by BCL |
|
CF-complement fixation |
|
Culture - Isolation |
|
CIA - Chemiluminescent immunoassay |
|
CSF - Cerebrospinal fluid |
|
DFA - Direct florescence assay |
|
ELISA/EIA - Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay/enzyme immunoassay |
|
EM- Electron microscopy |
|
GFAS - Graphite furnace absorption |
|
HAI - Hemagglutination inhibition |
|
IFA - Immunofluorescence assay |
|
IHC - Immunohistochemistry |
|
LA - Latex agglutination |
|
MAT- Microagglutination test |
|
MIF- Microimmunofluorescence |
|
Microscopy |
|
PCR - Polymerase chain reaction (nucleic acid amplification) |
|
RIBA - Recombinant immunoblot assay |
|
RDT- Rapid diagnostic test, (i.e., antigen test or agglutination test) |
|
Western blot - Immunoblot | |
