Tuberculosis Laboratories

What to know

• CDC's Tuberculosis (TB) Laboratory serves as the National TB Reference Laboratory
• The TB Laboratory supports all fifty U.S. states, U.S. territories and freely associated states.

About the lab

CDC's TB laboratory is a vital leader in safety and quality and has special facilities and expertise required to work with live TB organisms. The TB Laboratory supports TB elimination through:

• Clinical testing,
• Applied research, and
• Technical assistance.

Applied research helps to:

• Improve outbreak detection,
• Identify and characterize drug-resistance mechanisms,
• Explore novel strategies such as host-directed therapies, and
• Optimize use of state-of-the-art technologies.

How the lab supports public health

CDC's TB Laboratory supports health departments through:

• Consultation and technical assistance to public health laboratory and TB programs
• Molecular Detection of Drug-Resistance Service
• National TB Molecular Surveillance Center
• National Public Health Laboratory Drug Susceptibility Testing Reference Center for TB

Services and outreach

Drug susceptibility testing

CDC's tuberculosis elimination laboratory work provides services for testing of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis) complex (either processed specimens or culture isolates).

Any local health department, licensed physician's office, licensed laboratory, or licensed health care facility may submit samples for testing, but they must be routed through either their state health department or other authorized facility.

Molecular Detection of Drug Resistance (MDDR)

CDC offers a service to rapidly identify drug resistance, including multidrug-resistant, M. tuberculosis complex. This service utilizes DNA sequencing for detection of mutations most frequently associated with resistance to the most effective first and second-line drugs as well as new and repurposed drugs such as bedaquiline, clofazimine, and linezolid.

• Molecular Detection of Drug Resistance Request Form
• Laboratory User Guide for U.S. Public Health Laboratories: Molecular Detection of Drug Resistance (MDDR) in Mycobacterium tuberculosis Complex by DNA Sequencing
• Specimen Submission Form

Model Performance Evaluation Program

CDC's Model Performance Evaluation Program (MPEP) analyzes the performance and practices of clinical, commercial, and public health laboratories in the United States that perform drug susceptibility testing of isolates belonging to the M. tuberculosis complex (MTBC).

Keep ReadingModel Performance Evaluation Program (MPEP)

Epidemiologic investigations and surveillance activities

The TB Laboratory provides support for CDC's TB epidemiologic investigations and surveillance activities. TB genotyping results, when combined with epidemiologic data, help to distinguish TB patients who are involved in the same chain of recent transmission.

Genotyping

CDC contracts with a laboratory in Michigan to provide genotyping services to TB programs in the United States. Whole genome sequencing is the method used for genotyping.

Keep ReadingTuberculosis Genotyping

Laboratory aggregate reports

As part of the CDC TB Elimination and Laboratory Cooperative Agreement, 58 supported state, local and territorial public health laboratories submit an Annual Performance Report. Data are compiled and presented in the Tuberculosis Laboratory Aggregate Report.

The purpose of this report is for public health laboratories to assess progress towards meeting national TB testing benchmarks and for peer comparison with other public health laboratories with similar specimen or testing volume, using similar methods, or in a similar geographical location.

Tuberculosis Laboratory Aggregate Report: Eighth Edition, was published in 2026. Previous editions are archived on CDC Stacks.

Laboratory guidelines

Updated Guidelines for the Use of Nucleic Acid Amplification Tests in the Diagnosis of Tuberculosis

Additional TB guidelines

Clinical Guidelines

This page provides a list of selected clinical guidelines related to tuberculosis (TB) topics.

Tuberculosis Guidance for Public Health Professionals

CDC has guidelines to assist TB programs with prevention and control activities.

Lab partnerships

Association of Public Health Laboratories

CDC works with the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) to strengthen the national laboratory system through evaluation, education, and training, as well as promotion of best practices and use of new tools.

Public Health Laboratories and TB Programs

CDC partners with public health laboratories and TB programs to provide patient care and genotyping services to aid in outbreak detection and technical consultations.

Resources

False-Positive Investigation Toolkit

Use this toolkit to recognize false-positive results and help with false-positive investigations.

Continuity of Operations Plan Toolkit for Public Health Mycobacteriology Laboratories

On This Page

• About the lab
• How the lab supports public health
• Services and outreach
• Laboratory guidelines
• Lab partnerships
• Resources

Sept. 22, 2026

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Division of Tuberculosis Elimination ; National Center for HIV, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and Tuberculosis Prevention; Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAbout This Page

Published: May 15, 2024

Updated: September 22, 2026This page was last updated on this date. Updates may include minor edits, image changes, or other modifications to page content.

Reviewed: April 22, 2024The information on this page was last reviewed by subject matter experts to ensure accuracy.

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