About
- CDC accepts specimens from state public health laboratories and other federal agencies for analysis.
- State health departments and other federal agencies may submit specimens for reference testing to CDC.
- Private healthcare providers and institutions may now submit specimens directly to CDC with approval from the local state health department laboratory.
What's new
Please be advised that CDC retired the 50.34 Specimen Submission Form application on October 30, 2026, to modernize and streamline the specimen submission process. The CDC Specimen Test Order and Reporting (CSTOR) Web Portal is the CDC's preferred method of specimen submission. If your organization is onboarded to CSTOR, no further action is needed. If you require support, please contact the CSTOR Team at CSTOR@cdc.gov.
As of 2026, the CDC accepts direct specimen submissions from state public health laboratories, international health organizations, and federal agencies, as well as local healthcare providers (with state approval) for analysis. As of July 2024, private healthcare providers and institutions may submit specimens directly to CDC with local state health department laboratory (state, county, city) approval.
Specimen submission methods
Specimen management activities at CDC include the receipt, categorization, and distribution of specimens from public health facilities to CDC laboratories for reference diagnostic testing and research studies. State-of-the-art technology is used to provide data and information summaries that are crucial in the assessment of public health trends and epidemic dynamics on a national scale. The CDC Test Order and Reporting (CSTOR) Web Portal is the preferred method of specimen submission for public health organizations. The Global File Accessioning Template (GFAT) remains available for organizations with urgent submissions that aren't already onboarded to CSTOR.
Who may submit specimens
State public health departments, federal agencies, and international health organizations may submit specimens for reference testing to CDC. With state health department approval, private healthcare providers, hospitals, and laboratories may submit specimens directly to CDC via the CSTOR Web Portal. All specimen submissions to CDC must receive approval by the individual state health department, unless specific tests have been pre-approved in CSTOR.
If a local health department is unable to determine where and how to submit a specimen, they should forward the specimen to their state health department.
State and Local Health Departments
Further reading
Contact us
- For questions related to submitting specimens for infectious disease testing, please email CDC_ID_lab_info@cdc.gov.
- For questions related to CSTOR, please contact CSTOR@cdc.gov.
- For questions outside of normal business hours, call the CDC Emergency Operations Center (EOC) at 770-488-7100.
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