Who May Submit Specimens
Submitting Specimens to CDC
State health departments and other federal agencies may submit specimens for reference testing to CDC. All specimen submissions to CDC must have approval by the individual state health department, unless participating in special studies or surveillance projects.
Private citizens, health practitioners and hospitals must contact their local (city or county) health department to submit specimens. If the local health department is unable to make a determination on where and how to submit a specimen, they will forward the specimen to their state health department.
There are currently two methods for submitters to submit specimens to CDC for testing:
- The CDC Test Order and Reporting (CSTOR) Web Portal (preferred)
- The CDC 50.34 Specimen Submission Form
State and Local Health Departments
State and Territorial Public Health Officials external icon
State and Territorial Public Health Laboratoriesexternal icon