We actively maintain rigorous in-house and external quality assurance schemes, ensuring that Micropathology Ltd continues to meet the necessary regulatory standards (ISO 15189:2012).

We took part in the following external quality assurance schemes (2022):

United Kingdom National External Quality Assessment Service

• Anti-HBsAg
• Blood-Borne Virus donor screen (serology for hepatitis C Ag and AB, hepatitis B (HBVSAg, Anti-HBV Core), HIV 1 and 2 Ag and AB (including p24), HTLV 1 and 2 AB
• Fungal biomarkers
• HepB serology (Surface antigen, 'e' antigen, 'e' antibody, core antibody)
• HFE (Haemachromatosis) H63D, C282Y & S65C mutations
• Thrombophilia gene mutations (Factor V Leiden & Prothrombin)
• Measles & mumps IgG
• Molecular tissue identification (GenQA)
• Mycobacteria (molecular)
• Mycology (Molecular fungal identification)

Quality Control for Molecular Diagnostics

• CMV drug resistance (UL97/UL54/)
• HBV drug resistance
• HBV genotyping
• HCV drug resistance
• HCV genotyping
• HIV-1 drug resistance (protease/reverse transcriptase / integrase)
• HIV-1 DNA/RNA detection
• HSV drug resistance
• influenza virus A and B RNA detection
• Respiratory II (MPV, Adenovirus, Rhinovirus, coronavirus, enterovirus, parainfluenza viruses 1-4).
• RSV RNA detection
• SARS-CoV-2 RNA detection
• Aspergillus spp.
• Bacterial 16S panel
• Bacterial sepsis (Staphylococcus, Serratia, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus, Enterococcus, Streptococcus and Klebsiella, Pseudomonas)
• Bordetella pertussis
• Borrelia burgdorferi
• Candida spp.
• Central nervous system II (Listeria spp., Neisseria meningitides, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Streptococcus agalactiae, Escherichia coli, Aspergillus spp., Haemophilus influenzae strains, Cryptococcus neoformans)
• Chlamydia pneumoniae
• Chlamydia psittacii
• Chlamydia trachomatis
• Group B Streptococcus
• Legionella pneumophilia
• Mycobacterium tuberculosis
• Mycoplasma genitalium including macrolide and fluoroquinolone resistance
• Mycoplasma pneumoniae
• Neisseria gonorrhoeae
• Non-tuberculosis Mycobacteria spp.
• Pneumocystis jirovecii
• STI screen (Mycoplasma genitalium, Ureaplasma sp, Trichomonas vaginalis, Gardnerella vaginalis)
• Staphylococcus aureus MRSA
• Respiratory III (Pertussis, Legionella pneumoniae, Mycoplasma pneumoniae, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae strains)
• Toxoplasma gondii
• Treponema pallidum

INSTAND panels

• Adenovirus DNA quantitation
• CMV DNA quantitation
• EBV DNA quantitation
• Enterovirus RNA
• HBV DNA quantitation
• HCV RNA quantitation
• HDV RNA quantitation
• HEV RNA quantitation
• HHV6 DNA quantitation
• HHV-8 DNA detection
• HIV-1 RNA quantitation
• HIV-2 RNA detection
• HPV DNA detection
• HSV DNA detection and typing
• measles RNA detection
• mumps RNA detection
• parechovirus RNA detection
• parvovirus B19 DNA quantitation
• polyoma virus BK DNA quantitation
• polyoma virus JC
• Rubella RNA
• VZV DNA detection
• West Nile virus RNA detection
• Coxiella burnetii DNA
• Brucella sp. DNA

Veterinary laboratory agency

• Leptospira genus

English Speaking Working Group (of the International Society for Forensic Genetics)

• Human relationship testing proficiency scheme

Informal interlaboratory exchange schemes 2022 included:

• Bartonella sp.
• Tropheryma whipplei
• Group A Streptococcus – Streptococcus pyogenes
• Propionibacterium acnes

If you have any questions about our quality management system please contact our Quality Manager, Dr Andrea Collins.

You may want to download our Quality Manual.