THE DISEASE DETECTIVES.

SEXUALLY transmitted diseases; DETECTIVES; MEDICAL technologists

The lab, which receivesbetween 5,000 and 8,000 samples, six days a week, for analysis,routinely reports results to Department of Defense hospitals andclinics around the world within 48 hours of a sample being shippedto the lab. In addition to the immunology testing that is performed in the lab,the Microbiology branch performs testing on bacterial cultures,examines fecal samples for parasites that cause intestinal disease,and performs influenza testing. According to Minnich, the formula for each influenza vaccine isfinalized by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) inFebruary of each year, based on influenza type and subtype datacollected up to that time, because it takes until August for avaccine to be manufactured in quantities necessary to inoculate thepublic. The immunodiagnostic section recently installed an automatedtesting unit, blue track on left, which is computer controlled toprepare samples and transfer them to the appropriate analyzer forSTD screening, status-immune testing or other analyses. [Extracted from the article]

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