Public Health Laboratory
Established in 1892, the NYC Public Health Laboratory was the world's first municipal bacteriological laboratory. In the century since its first campaign to control diphtheria in NYC, the Public Health Lab has expanded to provide a variety of clinical and environmental laboratory testing services to detect and characterize disease causing organisms. Some of these services include community testing for tuberculosis and sexual health associated diseases; antibiotic resistance testing; food borne disease investigations; outbreak response (Ebola, Legionnaires’ disease, COVID-19, monkeypox); whole genome sequencing; beach water and wastewater pathogen monitoring; and biothreat agent testing.
In addition to working closely with local partners, the Public Health Lab has strong partnerships and collaborations with academic institutions, public health labs nationwide, the CDC and the NY State Department of Health Wadsworth Center.
Tests and Services
- PHL Tests and Services Manual (PDF)
- Microbiology
- CT/NG NAAT
- Enteric Bacteriology
- General Bacteriology
- Mycobacteriology
- Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing
- Environmental Sciences and Toxicology
- Chemistry
- Microbiology
- Virology and Immunology
- HIV
- Virus Serology
- Virus Identification
- Rabies
- Biothreat Response Laboratory
- Biosafety and Outreach
- Chemical Threat Response Laboratory
General Service Information
Questions concerning the availability of tests not listed, specimen requirements, or other information should be directed to the laboratory listed below.
| Area | Phone |
|---|---|
| Microbiology | 212-671-5849 |
| Virology and Immunology | 212-671-5890 |
| Environmental Sciences and Toxicology | 212-671-5823 |
| Biothreat Response | 212-671-5834 |
| Chemical Threat | 212-671-5900 |
| General Services | 212-671-5700 |
Public Health Laboratory Submission Guidelines
To order laboratory tests electronically, visit eOrder.