Microbiology
Microbiology is a branch of biology that studies organisms that are usually too small to be seen with the naked eye. At VIFM, microbiology is one of the methods used to detect disease in human tissue on a cellular level.
Clinical specimens taken at autopsy, including samples from lung tissue, blood, urine, the bowel or the brain, are tested in our Microbiology Laboratory. Serological and microbiological testing is performed on these samples to detect the presence of infectious diseases such as Hepatitis C, HIV, Hepatitis B, Human T-Cell Lymphotrophic Virus and Syphilis.
The Microbiology Laboratory at the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine is located within the Donor Tissue Bank of Victoria. The role of microbiology in the detection of disease is an integral part of the DTBV’s screening process for tissue intended for donation.
The Microbiology Laboratory is also responsible for notifying infectious diseases to the Department of Human Services. These may be sexually transmitted diseases or other infectious diseases such as Hepatitis C, Legionellosis, Influenza and Meningococcal infection. Risk factors associated with any infectious disease are included in the notification.
Accreditation
To ensure quality control in the performance of all testing carried out in the Microbiology Laboratory, the laboratory participates in quality assurance programs. These programs include both serology and microbiological testing.
The laboratory is TGA licensed to perform Virology Screening, Syphilis Testing and Product Microbiological Contamination Testing of Human Tissue for Transplant and is also accredited to NATA Medical Testing (AS4633:2004 (ISO 15189:2003)) and Forensic Operations Module (ISO 17025 FOM Feb 2007).