Bioterrorism

Kansas law require laboratories to report testing results suggestive of specified diseases of public health importance to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment Bureau of Public Health Informatics at 877-427-7317. The Kansas Administrative Regulations (K.A.R) and Kansas Statutes Annotated (K.S.A.) requires a telephone report within four hours for all suspect cases of List (e)(1) Select Agents.

Health care providers wear personal protective gear.

When a preliminary identification of a suspected List (e)(1) Select Agent bacteria is made from a clinical specimen as a non-Select Agent registered laboratory, work should cease. Clinical laboratories should immediately notify the Kansas Department of Health and Environmental Laboratories by email, a Laboratory Response Network (LRN) laboratory, of the suspect or rule-out List (e)(1) Select Agent specimen. Proper rule out of the List (e)(1) Select Agent will be made by the Kansas Department of Health and Environmental Bioterrorism Laboratory.

When notifying the Bioterrorism Laboratory of rule-out specimen request, please include the following: 

  • What is the suspected organism?
  • What is the description of the organism?
  • When will the isolate be shipped?
  • What is the shipping method and tracking number (FedEx Overnight, UPS Overnight, courier)?
  • What is the patient history?
  • Have any potential laboratory exposures occurred (handling of the specimen outside of a certified Biological Safety Cabinet, specimen was analyzed on a rapid identification method, etc.)?

All suspected or rule-out List (e)(1) Select Agent specimens must be accompanied with a completed KDHE Universal Laboratory Specimen Submission Form (Health). Order a KDHE Universal Laboratory Specimen Submission Form.