Yersinia pestis

Testing site      

Alaska State Public Health Laboratory – Anchorage 

Anchorage Lab Request Form 

Diseases 

Plague 

• Disease forms: 
  • Bubonic 
  • Pneumonic 
  • Septicemic 

Organisms 

Yersinia pestis 

Test Method 

Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) 

Availability

1. All clients must consult with the Section of Epidemiology for approval before testing.  
2. If approved by Epidemiology, Contact ASPHL Biothreat Team before submitting samples.  

Specimen type 

• Organism isolate 
• bronchial wash 
• tracheal aspirate 
• sputum 
• nasopharyngeal swab 
• lymph node aspirate 
• serum 
• lesion exudates 
• tissue smears 
• blood 
• environmental samples 

Specimen collection instructions 

Refer to ASM Sentinel Level Clinical Microbiology Guidelines and contact ASPHL with questions.

Storage and transport  

• Store refrigerated 
• Ship with cool packs 
• Ambient temperature shipping is acceptable 
• Package and label as UN3373 Biological Substance, Category B. 
• Ship as quickly as possible.  

With approval, ship to: Anchorage Public Health Laboratory, ATNN: Special Pathogens Unit. 

Results  

Presumptive/ Confirmatory: Y. pestis detected/ not detected 

A normal result is not detected. 

Turnaround time  

3-5 days 

Resources