Microbial diagnostic testing is the process of making a diagnosis based on a screening test in a laboratory. This is not only important for individual patients, but also for the health of all other people in the Netherlands. Reliable laboratory data is essential for gaining a clear understanding of the presence and spread of infectious diseases.

Microbial diagnostic testing provides insight into the presence and spread of infectious diseases thanks to all of the laboratory data collected. Therefore, it plays a very important role in protecting and promoting public health and responding to infectious diseases. This has become even clearer since the coronavirus pandemic. RIVM is working actively with partners in the field to prepare microbial diagnostic testing and its implementation for the next major outbreak of an infectious disease, including a pandemic.

Special patient-oriented diagnostic testing

RIVM and various laboratories in the Netherlands perform diagnostic testing of infectious diseases that occur rarely. Diagnostic testing that requires specialised techniques can also be performed by  RIVM. Such special patient-oriented diagnostic testing is performed in the fields of bacteriology, parasitology and virology. To this end, RIVM cooperates with organisations such as the Dutch Society for Medical Microbiology (NVMM) and the Dutch Association for Medical Microbiological Laboratories (VMML). The range of diagnostic testing available is collected in the Diagnostic Vademecum to Infectious Diseases.

Network of reference laboratories

Public health reference laboratories are laboratories that act as diagnostic confirmation centres and as scientific reference points for a specific aspect of microbiological diagnostic testing. They have been accredited and commissioned for this purpose. The network of medical microbiological reference laboratories is essential for the early detection of pathogens and the effective management of outbreaks. RIVM coordinates a comprehensive diagnostic network of medical microbiological reference laboratories in the Netherlands for the benefit of public health care. The annual reporting of this Reference Laboratory Network describes the tasks of and the results achieved by the medical microbiology reference laboratories in the Netherlands.

Tasks of reference laboratories

Reference laboratories maintain a relevant collection of reference materials, contribute to innovation and scientific research and to the surveillance of the infectious disease(s) in question. This also includes the timely detection and response to outbreaks.

The core tasks of the reference laboratories include:

  • reference diagnostics
  • collecting reference materials
  • scientific advice
  • collaboration and research
  • monitoring
  • (early) detection
  • outbreak management

RIVM reference laboratories

The Centre for Infectious Diseases Research, Diagnostics and Laboratory Surveillance (IDS) carries out multiple reference tasks within RIVM. An overview of all medical microbiological reference laboratories in the period from 2022 until 2026 is given below (in Dutch only).