Public Health Laboratory Mosquito Arbovirus Surveillance Testing

About the Program

Category: Health (Best in Category)

Year: 2023

The San Bernardino County Department of Public Health (SBCDPH) Laboratory Program (Public Health Lab) provides a wide range of testing services for local hospitals and public health programs such as Animal Care, Clinic Operations and Communicable Disease. The SBCDPH Vector Control Section of Environmental Health Services (EHS) collects mosquito pools throughout the County for the surveillance of several arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses). Testing involved nucleic acid amplification testing (NAAT) that specifically identified the presence of virus in the mosquitos that could be transmitted to humans causing serious illness including West Nile Virus. Identification of positive mosquito pools in a neighborhood triggers prompt public notification and possible mitigation efforts. Since 2017, Vector Control contracted with a commercial laboratory to perform this testing. Several logistic problems were identified with the commercial lab testing process. The Public Health Lab was able to develop a mosquito testing protocol and began testing in 2022. The Public Health Lab testing improved the previous process providing more rapid reporting at a lower transport cost. In a six-month testing period, the Public Health Lab optimized the process and tested 669 mosquito pools. This program is expected to continue over many years.