ARUP awarded CDC contract to develop testing to detect bird flu
ARUP Laboratories, a national reference laboratory based at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, has been selected by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in Atlanta as a formal partner in the development of a test for avian influenza A (H5N1), or bird flu. The CDC said ARUP is one of five lab partners. The others are Quest Diagnostics, Labcorp, Aegis Sciences and Ginkgo Bioworks.
“Our selection for this partnership recognizes ARUP’s 40-plus-year history of quality test development, our commitment to innovation and our commitment to meeting public health needs,” said Jonathan Genzen, ARUP’s chief medical officer and senior director of governmental affairs.
The partnership marks a shift for the CDC in that it enables ARUP and other commercial labs to work on testing solutions alongside the agency, rather than once a public health emergency arises, to make a test for bird flu available quickly if it is needed.
“ARUP wants to be a fully integrated partner in the delivery of public health services and clinical laboratory testing, and this contract opens doors for both,” said Marc Couturier, head of clinical operations for clinical microbiology and immunology.
The announcement came shortly after an individual in Missouri, who had no known contact with animals or poultry, became infected with an H5 virus. This is the first time a human has tested positive for H5 without a known source of the virus. Both the CDC and the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services continue to investigate. The individual, who has since recovered, had underlying health conditions, according to the CDC.
A total of 15 human cases of bird flu have been identified in the United States since 2022. The CDC reports that 14 of those cases have been identified since April 2023. ARUP has been monitoring the spread of bird flu and began engaging in talks with the CDC more than a year ago.