DNA and PCR Testing Services

Huntington Beach, CA, December 28, 2023

Last month, Contra Costa Health (CCH) published a media release recommending that anyone who spent time inside a specific Bay Area casino since 2018 consider getting a tuberculosis (TB) test. The recommendation came after 11 confirmed cases of TB, and genetic testing which revealed multiple related cases. The infected include staff and customers of the casino over the past five years.

CCH shared it had contacted more than 300 people who may have been exposed to active TB. Those individuals are encouraged to get tested as the bacteria that causes TB, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, can survive for months to years in some people without causing symptoms. CCH also reported that a current or ongoing source of transmission at the casino had not been identified.

TB typically attacks the lungs, but it can also attack other parts of the body. The disease can be spread from a person with the disease of the lungs or throat through the air from one person to another when they cough, sneeze, speak or sing. This occurs when people nearby breathe in the bacteria and then become infected, which is why transmission can be a significant risk in places where many people share the same space for extended periods of time.

“The good news is TB is preventable and LA Testing is here to help,” said Michael Chapman, Laboratory Manager of LA Testing’s Huntington Beach facility. “We offer highly sensitive real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) testing techniques to identify Mycobacterium tuberculosis from air samples collected on special filter cassettes. These tests can be instrumental in supporting infection control programs that protect building occupants and vulnerable patients in healthcare settings.”

To learn more about environmental testing for Mycobacterium tuberculosis or other pathogens, please visit www.LATesting.com, email info@LATesting.com or call (800) 755-1794. 
 

About LA Testing

LA Testing is California’s leading laboratory for environmental and indoor air quality testing of asbestos, mold, bacteria, lead, VOCs, formaldehyde, soot, char, ash and smoke damage, particulates and other chemicals. In addition, LA Testing offers a full range of air sampling and investigative equipment to professionals and the general public. LA Testing maintains an extensive list of accreditations including: AIHA LAP LLC., AIHA ELLAP, AIHA EMLAP and AIHA IHLAP, CDC ELITE, NVLAP, State of California, State of Hawaii Department of Health and other states. LA Testing, along with the EMSL Analytical, Inc. network, has multiple laboratories throughout California including South Pasadena, Huntington Beach, San Leandro and San Diego.