As New Zealand’s national reference laboratory, we build on the diagnostic and reference testing performed in hospital and community laboratories by confirming the diagnosis of communicable diseases (e.g. whooping cough, listeriosis, meningitis, salmonellosis, influenza and many others) and taking the diagnosis a step further by characterising the bacteria or virus using molecular tools (molecular biology), phenotypic characteristics of the micro-organisms or serological techniques.
Other testing, such as influenza surveillance, is done directly by screening specimens collected from patients, without referral from community laboratories.
Search our database for a specialist test or complete a referral form to submit a sample.
Public health surveillance website
ESR manages this site on behalf of the Ministry of Health
ESR's virus hunters
Learn about our team who's job it is to detect new or rare infectious agents