Where can a mite be submitted for encephalitis analysis? - briefly
Submit the specimen to a public‑health or veterinary diagnostic laboratory accredited for arbovirus testing, such as the CDC Arbovirus Diagnostic Laboratory or a state health‑department reference lab. These facilities perform PCR, immunohistochemistry, or virus isolation to confirm encephalitis‑causing agents.
Where can a mite be submitted for encephalitis analysis? - in detail
Submitting a mite specimen for encephalitis testing requires a laboratory equipped to identify viral agents within arthropod vectors. Accepting facilities fall into three categories: government reference centers, university veterinary diagnostic labs, and commercial diagnostic services.
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Federal reference laboratories
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Division of Vector-Borne Diseases, Atlanta, GA – accepts arthropod samples for arbovirus detection, including encephalitic agents.
• National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), Rocky Mountain Laboratories, Hamilton, MT – processes vector specimens for research and diagnostic purposes.
• United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) – provides testing for zoonotic encephalitis viruses in arthropods. -
University veterinary diagnostic units
• Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences – Vector‑Borne Disease Laboratory, College Station, TX.
• University of California, Davis, Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital – Vector‑Borne Pathogen Testing Facility, Davis, CA.
• Ohio State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory – Columbus, OH, offers PCR and virus isolation from mite samples. -
Commercial diagnostic providers
• Eurofins Scientific – Vector‑Borne Disease Testing, multiple global sites, accepts mailed specimens with appropriate permits.
• Charles River Laboratories – Vector‑Borne Pathogen Services, United Kingdom and United States locations.
• IDEXX Laboratories – Vector‑Borne Pathogen Panel, US laboratories in Westbrook, ME, and other regional sites.
Specimen handling and submission requirements
- Preserve the mite in RNAlater or 70 % ethanol; avoid formalin, which degrades nucleic acids.
- Include a detailed collection record: species identification, geographic coordinates, date, host information, and environmental conditions.
- Ship on dry ice or with an ice pack to maintain a temperature of –20 °C to –80 °C for nucleic acid integrity.
- Provide a completed submission form and any required import/export permits for interstate or international transport.
- Request a written report specifying the detection method (RT‑PCR, virus isolation, next‑generation sequencing) and the target encephalitic viruses (e.g., West Nile, Japanese encephalitis, tick‑borne encephalitis).
Procedure to obtain results
- Contact the chosen laboratory to confirm acceptance criteria and obtain a unique accession number.
- Dispatch the specimen using a certified carrier that tracks temperature conditions.
- Upon receipt, the laboratory logs the sample, conducts nucleic‑acid extraction, and runs pathogen‑specific assays.
- Results are typically released within 7–14 days, depending on assay complexity and laboratory workload.
By selecting an appropriate reference or diagnostic laboratory, adhering to preservation standards, and providing complete metadata, a mite sample can be reliably processed for encephalitis virus analysis.