Submitting Specimens to CDC

What's new

Updated June 9, 2025 – Starting June 9, 2025, all Test Orders (TOs) in the CDC TOD will be renamed to indicate their accepted specimen type.

• TOs that accept Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) specimen types will be labeled with '- CLIA' (e.g., Acanthamoeba Molecular Detection- CLIA).

• TOs that do not accept CLIA specimen types will be labeled with '- Non-CLIA' (e.g., Bacterial Identification of Unknown Isolate (Not Strict Anaerobe)- Non-CLIA).

• Single TOs capable of accepting both specimen types will no longer be permitted.

Please note that some Test Order Codes may change to reflect these updates. If you have any questions, please contact the CDC TOD Team at TOD@cdc.gov.

Updated 6/9/2025 — We have upgraded our CDC 50.34 Specimen Submission Form, Online Test Directory, and supporting documentation. For instructions on how to access the upgraded 50.34 Form, please visit the Specimen Submission Form page. Users should review Test directory updates prior to sending specimens to CDC for testing.

CDC accepts specimens from state public health laboratories and other federal agencies for analysis. As of July 2024, private healthcare providers and institutions may submit specimens directly to CDC with local state health department laboratory (state, county, city) approval.

Specimen submission methods

Specimen management activities at CDC include the receipt, categorization, and distribution of specimens from public health facilities to CDC laboratories for reference diagnostic testing and research studies. State-of-the-art technology is used to provide data and information summaries that are crucial in the assessment of public health trends and epidemic dynamics on a national scale.

There are currently two methods for submitters to submit specimens to CDC for testing:

1. The CDC Test Order and Reporting (CSTOR) Web Portal (preferred)
2. The CDC 50.34 Specimen Submission Form

Who may submit specimens

State health departments and other federal agencies may submit specimens for reference testing to CDC. With state health department approval, private healthcare providers, hospitals, and laboratories may submit specimens directly to CDC via the CDC Specimen Test Order and Reporting (CSTOR) Web Portal. All specimen submissions to CDC must receive approval by the individual state health department, unless specific tests have been pre-approved in CSTOR.

If a local health department is unable to determine where and how to submit a specimen, they should forward the specimen to their state health department.

State and Local Health Departments

Further reading