Welcome to the Public Health Laboratory Division of the San Luis Obispo County Public Health Department

The Public Health Laboratory (SLO PHL) provides services to physicians and their patients and specializing in identifying infectious diseases.  Our experienced staff of professional Public Health Microbiologists and excellent support staff allow us to provide superior, individualized laboratory services to those in the medical community.

• Molecular Amplification Testing
• Environmental testing ( Food, drinking water, waste water, ocean water )
• Sexually transmitted diseases (STD)
• Identifying agents involved in bioterrorism events
• Tuberculosis, STD, and some emerging infectiousdiseases
• Identifying organisms associated with foodborne illnesses
• Identifying enteric pathogens present in stool specimens
• Identification of parasites in human specimens
• Testing and surveillance of communicable diseases
• Routine testing of well, surface, beach waters and recreational waters for organisms known to cause water borne illness
• Identification of fungi
• Shellfish testing to insure it is safe for human consumption
• Rabies testing and surveillance
• Laboratory provides support to FBI and first responders in the identification of biological and chemical agents

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Special Microbiology

        MOLECULAR MICROBIOLOGY

•     Bordetella PCR
•     Norovirus RT-PCR

        BACTERIOLOGY

• Urine Culture
• Bacterologic primary culture
• Urine Antibiotic Susceptibility Testing

    SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED DISEASE TESTING - STD

• Chlamydia by Amplified Assay
• Gonorrhea by Amplified Assay
• Herpes Culture and Typing
• Syphilis Serology (VDRL)
• HIV 1, 2 + O antibody, serum ( confirmation by Indirect Fluorescent Antibody - IFA)
• HIV 1, 2 + O antibody, oral fluid ( confirmation by Western Blot)
• HIV antibody, IFA, serum (confirmatory)
• HIV antibody, Western blot, oral fluid (confirmatory)

    ACID-FAST BACILLI TESTING- AFB

• Mycobacterium tuberculosis
• Atypical Mycobacterium speciation
• Probe testing for M. tuberculosis, M. avium Complex, M. kansasii, M. gordonae
• Nocardia

     MYCOLOGY

• Dermatophytes
• Coccidioidomycosis
• Systemic fungi and opportunistic fungi
• Yeast speciation

     PARASITOLOGY

• Giardia -Cryptosporidium Direct Fluorscent Assay (DFA)
• Microsporidium/Cyclosporidium
• Tick identification
• Protozoa
• Helminths
• Cyclospora
• Blood smear exam - Malaria
• Pinworm prep

     ENTERIC CULTURES (Routine includes Salmonella, Shigella, Campylobacter, shigatoxin-producing Escherichia coli)

• Salmonella
• Shigella
• Yersinia
• Vibrio
• Campylobacter
• E. coli O157

     WEST NILE SEROLOGY

• Serum specimens referred to State Laboratory for testing. Contact SLO PHL regarding specimen requirements.

    ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY

• Total coliforms-E coli, Presence-Absence
• Total coliforms-E coli , MPN
• Fecal coliforms, waste water
• Heterotrophic Plate Count
• Fecal Streptocooci, MPN
• Fecal Coliforms, Shellfish meat

    ANIMAL TESTING

• Rabies virus, Direct Fluorescent Antobody (DFA)
  

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Fees    

• Please call the Public Health Laboratory at 805-781-5512
• Private and government insurance, including Medi-Cal, Medicare, State Family Planning and CMSP, are accepted for billing. For patients without insurance, we offer affordable fees and payment arrangements.

Contact Information

    Public Health Laboratory

    2191 Johnson Avenue

    San Luis Obispo, CA 93401

    Phone: 805-781-5507

    Fax: 805-781-1023

James L. Beebe, Ph.D., D(ABMM), Laboratory Director

    Phone: 805-781-5512

    Email:  jbeebe@co.slo.ca.us

Sharon Beccacio, Public Health Laboratory Supervisor

    Phone: 805-781-5509

    Email: sbeccacio@co.slo.ca.us