Molecular diagnostics in the public health laboratories

At the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services laboratory, clinical laboratory scientists receive specimens from various health care facilities and clinics in the state, and identify and confirm organisms of particular health concern in a rapid and timely manner. Most of the assays performed are specialized tests that are not done routinely in the clinical laboratories. Identifying and monitoring infectious agents such as West Nile virus, Influenza 2009 A (H1N1) pdm, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, enteric organisms, etc. is part of the daily workload in the Public Health Laboratories. In addition, surveillance programs are in place to control the spread of various infectious agents and to aid in investigative epidemiologic purposes. The volume of samples and workload demands can be overwhelming especially in peak months such as summer (WNV) or winter (Influenza A) therefore, it was necessary to implement molecular diagnostics and robotic technology to aid in high throughput analysis. Molecular assays have become the "norm" not only in the public health laboratories but in most clinical microbiology laboratories as well. The use of molecular diagnostics has proven advantageous resulting in accurate results, decreased turn around times, and overall better patient care and outcomes.