Although it is largely forgotten today, just five years before the Coronavirus Pandemic, the Zika virus was making headlines. In early 2016, the World Health Organization declared the Zika epidemic a public health emergency, as evidence mounted that the Zika…
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Since we launched our Custom Solutions program for environmental isolates and objectionable organisms in 2011, the most common strains have remained remarkably consistent. Even as the customers we serve (and the products they manufacture) have become increasingly diversified, the top…
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A typical flu season presents significant challenges for medical laboratories with increased demand and pressure for providing quick and accurate diagnostic testing. But what happens when you combine this already demanding time with the global COVID-19 pandemic? No one can…
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The Critical Role of QC in Every Stage of Assay Development and Usage For anyone of us involved in medical laboratory or public health laboratory testing, we understand the critical importance of clinical quality control (QC). With the ongoing fallout…
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Wow! We had record participation for our 2020 #CreepyCultures contest! Thank you to everyone who joined the fun this Halloween. The Microbiologics team was blown away by the amazing creations you submitted and voting was tougher than ever. Congratulations to…
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As the use of cell lines to produce biopharmaceuticals continues to increase, Mycoplasma testing is a growing quality control challenge. Because of its unique properties, Mycoplasma poses many challenges for detection and management. Mycoplasma contamination can spread quickly, yet common…
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For a highly infectious virus like SARS-CoV-2, an inactivated whole virus control is the gold standard for accuracy. For labs that opt for other control formats, synthetic RNA controls can provide many of the same qualities as inactivated whole virus…
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The COVID-19 pandemic has put increasing pressure on front-line healthcare workers to deliver fast and accurate test results. For any clinical diagnostic testing, laboratory professionals need assurance that sample preparation methods, as well as the instrumentation used to complete testing,…
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It’s 2020 and what a year it has been! It also marks the five-year anniversary of our annual Halloween-themed agar art contest known as #CreepyCultures. We’re looking forward to this year’s competition even more than previous years, in hopes that…
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We’re in the midst of the COVID-19 global pandemic and now back-to-school time is upon us. For some that means resuming in-person learning, whether it be full or part-time. Parents, students and school staff are all feeling a mixture of…
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