Scientific programmes

National Public Health Laboratory (NPHL)'s scientific programmes support infectious disease detection, surveillance, and outbreak management. These programmes include laboratory surveillance and preparedness for highly infectious pathogens (e.g. MERS-CoV, Influenza H7N9 and Ebola) for:

Foodborne diseases

• Performs outbreak investigation using multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR), culture, serotyping, molecular typing, and whole genome sequencing (WGS)

• Conducts surveillance of foodborne pathogens (e.g. typhoidal and non-typhoidal salmonella, norovirus, C. perfringens, enterotoxigenic S. aureus etc.)

Respiratory diseases

• Performs sentinel surveillance for influenza and Acute Respiratory Infections (ARI) using PCR and virus isolation

• Conducts ARI outbreak investigation supported by WGS

• Carries out capsular typing for pneumococcus to monitor changes in serotypes and coverage of pneumococcal vaccines

Vector-borne diseases

• Conducts surveillance and outbreak investigation of dengue, Zika and chikungunya viruses with genome sequencing and virus isolation in selected cases

Parasitic diseases

• Performs confirmation of species identity on all positive malaria slides. NPHL is a Malaria Reference Centre for conducting malaria morphology external quality assessment (EQA) programme and training

• Investigates uncommon parasitic diseases (e.g. leishmania, babesiosis etc.)

Hospital-acquired infections

• Performs surveillance of C. difficile submitted by public hospitals

• Assists with nosocomial outbreak investigations (e.g. P. aeruginosa, uncommon Gram-negative bacteria, Legionella, Candida auris etc.)

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR)

• Performs sequencing and monitoring of new or rare AMR bacteria

• Conducts investigation of multidrug-resistant organism (MDRO) cluster outbreak

National HIV Programme (NHIVP)

• Provides laboratory support for NHIVP by performing genome sequencing to determine transmissible drug resistance and -prevalence of HIV lineages and its subtypes

• Conducts recency testing which enables estimation of recently acquired HIV infection

National Tuberculosis Programme (NTBP)

• Provides laboratory support for NTBP by performing genome sequencing and genotypic resistance prediction in correlation to antibiogram. The analysis is submitted to NTBP for weekly analysis of clusters

National Serosurveillance

• Conducts the National Serosurveillance and National Paediatric Serosurveillance for vaccine-preventable diseases (e.g. diphtheria, tetanus, measles) in Singapore

• NPHL is the National Measles and Rubella Reference Laboratory under WHO. Conducts investigation of measles clusters with genome sequencing to ascertain that there is no sustained local transmission

Biothreats and rare dangerous pathogens

• Conducts identification and confirmation of potential biothreat agents (e.g. B. anthracis, F. tularensis, Brucella spp.)

• Biobanks local B. pseudomallei isolates and provides confirmation when identification of isolate is uncertain

• Participates in preparedness for highly infectious pathogens (e.g. Ebola, MERS-CoV, zoonotic influenza, viral haemorrhagic fevers, yellow fever etc.)

Other programmes and functions

• Conducts enterovirus surveillance (e.g. hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD))

• Performs Hepatitis C and E surveillance

• Identifies selected toxins from bacteria (e.g. C. dipththeriae, V. cholerae)

• Conducts laboratory testing in suspected botulism cases