Microbial Surveillance

The Microbial Surveillance Unit is located at the Queen Elizabeth II Medical Centre site and offers public and environmental health microbiology services, and includes a National Influenza Centre and the Arbovirus Surveillance and Research Laboratory.

The services provided include arbovirus detection in humans, animals and mosquitoes for the state-wide mosquito-borne disease surveillance program; bacterial and viral characterisation for foodborne, waterborne and gastrointestinal pathogens; laboratory surveillance for influenza, other respiratory viruses, vaccine-preventable diseases and enteroviruses; and whole genome sequencing of a range of bacterial and viral organisms.

The Microbial Surveillance Unit  works closely with the WA Department of Health Communicable Diseases Control Directorate and the Mosquito Borne Diseases Control unit, as well as being actively engaged in translational research activities with partner academic institutions.

The Gram Positive Typing Unit is situated at Fiona Stanley Hospital and offers state-wide services for the typing of Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Vancomycin Resistant Enterococcus (VRE) for both public and private laboratories. Technologies involve microarrays, PCR and whole genome sequencing. This unit is also responsible for the state-wide Neisseria gonorrhoea susceptibility survey. The unit is closely linked to local universities and the national Australian Group on Antimicrobial Resistance (AGAR)

Download the Molecular Typing Request Form here.