Non-CDC Options for Molecular and Serologic Testing for Parasitic Diseases

Posted 19 March 2025

This list of resources should not be considered as any endorsement by ASTMH, CDC/Division of Parasitic Disease and Malaria, CLIA, any accrediting body, nor should it be considered comprehensive.

Outside of the CDC’s clinical laboratory, almost all testing for parasitic diseases in the United States is done by these five laboratories (with some additional labs as mentioned in listing below) on a fee-for-service basis:

ARUP: https://www.aruplab.com/testing
Kephera Diagnostics: https://kephera.com
Mayo Clinic Laboratories: https://www.mayocliniclabs.com/test-catalog
Mt Sinai: email MMLdirectors@mountsinai.org
Quest: https://testdirectory.questdiagnostics.com/test/home
National Reference Centre for Parasitology (NRCP): http://www.nrcp.ca *please contact prior to sending

When the CDC’s parasitic lab testing is unavailable, their experts are still available to provide advice on diagnosis or management of suspected cases of parasitic diseases; they can be contacted via the CDC’s Parasitic Diseases Hotline at (404) 718-4745 or e-mail parasites@cdc.gov.

SEROLOGY

Amebiasis (Entamoeba histolytica) serology

Commercial Lab: Yes, ARUP, Labcorp, Mayo Clinic Laboratories, and Quest
Public Health/NIH Lab available: No
Comment: Useful for extraintestinal, invasive disease only. Sensitivity is low for non-invasive disease, including amebic dysentery.
International Lab: Yes (NRCP)

Chagas disease (Trypanosoma cruzi) serology

Commercial Lab: Yes, all
Public Health/NIH Lab available: Yes, TX DSHS (for patients living in Texas only)
Comment: Commercial labs offering Chagas disease serologic tests include (In alphabetical order): ARUP, Labcorp, Kephera Diagnostics, Mayo Clinic Laboratories, and Quest Diagnostics.
- Currently, Kephera Diagnostics, Mayo Clinic Laboratories, Mt Sinai, and Quest Diagnostics offer multi-step testing with different serological assays. All other reference labs perform only one immunoassay at this time (a positive result by at least two distinct immunoassays is needed to confirm a diagnosis of Chagas disease).
International Lab: Yes (NRCP)

Echinococcosis serology

Commercial lab: Yes, ARUP, Labcorp, Mayo Clinic Laboratories, and Quest
Public Health/NIH lab available: No
International lab: Yes (Switzerland, NRCP)
- University of Bern performs serologic and molecular testing for E. granulosus and E. multilocularis. They also have a quadruplex real-time PCR that differentiates E. granulosus sensu lato, E. multilocularis and Taenia spp. See IFIK Request Form for Diagnostic Parasitological Analyses

Fascioliasis serology

Commercial lab: No
Public Health/NIH lab available: None
International Lab: Yes (NRCP)

Paragonimiasis serology

Commercial lab: No
Public Health/NIH lab available: No
International Lab: Yes (NRCP)

Strongyloidiasis serology

Commercial lab: Yes, ARUP, Labcorp, Mayo Clinic Laboratories, and Quest
Public Health/NIH lab available: Yes, at some state public health labs
International Lab: Yes (NRCP)

Schistosomiasis serology

Commercial lab: Yes, ARUP, Labcorp, Mayo Clinic Laboratories, Quest, University of Washington, but lower sensitivity for non-S. mansoni species. Immunoblot for species identification not available.
Public Health/NIH lab available: Yes, at some state public health labs
International: Yes (NRCP)

Babesiosis (microti) serology

Commercial lab: Yes, ARUP, LabCorp, Mayo Clinic Laboratories, and Quest.
Public Health/NIH lab available: Yes, at some state public health labs
International Lab: Yes (NRCP)

Filariasis serology

Commercial lab: Yes, Quest
Public Health/NIH lab available: Yes. Contact CDC for instructions on sending specimens to NIH. NIH Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases (Fax: 301-480-5338) is CLIA approved for filaria serology.
International Lab: Yes (NRCP)

Toxocariasis serology

Commercial lab: Yes, ARUP, Labcorp, Mayo Clinic Laboratories, and Quest
Public Health/NIH lab available: No
International Lab: Yes (NRCP)

Baylisascariasis serology

Commercial lab: No
Public Health/NIH lab available: No
International Lab: Yes (NRCP)

Cysticercosis serology

Commercial Lab: Yes (Quest offers an immunoblot assay, Kephera offers Triplex ELISA, ARUP offers ELISA only, Mayo Clinic Laboratories offers ELISA on serum only)
Public Health/NIH lab available: No
International Lab: Yes (NRCP)

Leishmaniasis serology (for visceral leishmaniasis)

Commercial Lab: Yes, ARUP, Labcorp, Mayo Clinic Laboratories, and Quest
Public Health/NIH lab available: No
International Lab: Yes (NRCP)

Trichinellosis serology

Commercial Lab: Yes, ARUP, Labcorp, Mayo Clinic Laboratories, and Quest
Public Health/NIH lab available: No
International Lab: Yes (NRCP)

Clonorchiasis serology

International lab: Yes (Thailand)

Gnathostomiasis serology

International Lab: Yes (NRCP)

MOLECULAR/Culture/Other

Taenia solium Ag assay/qPCR of plasma and CSF

Commercial Lab: No
Public Health/NIH lab available: Yes. Contact CDC for instructions on sending specimens to NIH. NIH Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases (Fax: 301-480-5338) is CLIA approved for cysticercosis molecular testing.
International Lab: Yes (NRCP)

Leishmania species identification (for cutaneous leishmaniasis)

Commercial Lab: Yes, University of Washington-be sure to request species-specific PCR
Public Health/NIH lab available: No
International Lab: Yes (NRCP)

Chagas disease molecular detection

Commercial Lab: Eurofins
Public Health/NIH lab available: Yes (NY SPHL)
- Comments: NY SPHL requires pre-approval from CDC. Contact Sue Montgomery.
International Lab: Yes (NRCP)

Babesia molecular detection

Commercial Lab: Yes, ARUP, Mayo, Lab Corp, and Quest.
Public Health/NIH lab available: Yes, at some state public health labs
International Lab: Yes (NRCP)

Filariasis – Knott’s concentration

Commercial Lab: Yes, ARUP and Mayo

Strongyloidiasis – Agar Plate Culture

Commercial Lab: Yes, ARUP (University of Utah and surrounding region only), Mayo (Mayo Clinic Minnesota and Wisconsin region only)

Malaria molecular identification

Commercial Lab: Yes, ARUP, Labcorp, Mayo, and Quest
Public Health/NIH lab available: Yes, at some state public health labs
International Lab: Yes (NRCP)

Microsporidia molecular identification

Commercial Lab: Yes, ARUP and Mayo
Public Health/NIH lab available: Yes, at some state public health labs

Angiostrongylus cantonensis molecular detection

Commercial Lab: Karius test, UCSF NGS (CSF)
Public Health/NIH lab available: Hawaii SPHL
Comments: NIH offers a research-use only assay for CSF

Trichomonas susceptibility testing

Commercial Lab: No
Public Health/NIH lab available: No
Comments: University of Alabama Birmingham (UAB) is CLIA certified and can accept samples for testing.

Free-living Ameba molecular detection

Commercial Lab: Yes
- Culture: ARUP, Quest
- Molecular: Mayo, University of Washington (Acanthamoeba and Balamuthia, only)
Public Health/NIH Lab available: No

Toxoplasma molecular detection

Commercial Lab: Yes (University of Washington), Mayo Clinic

Entamoeba histolytica molecular detection

Commercial Lab: Yes, ARUP, Labcorp, and Mayo (as part of a multiplex GI pathogens panel)
Public Health/NIH Lab available: No
International Lab: Yes (NRCP)