Montana Laboratory Sentinel

Updates from the MT Laboratory Services Bureau
Phone: 800-821-7284 Fax: 406-444-1802
Lab Website

Lab Manual 

(Please reference this for testing or submission questions.)

December, 2025

News and Updates

Government Shutdown

Microbiology

• Baby Formula Recall

  • As you have probably heard by now, All ByHeart Whole Nutrition Infant Formula products have been recalled due to possible contamination with Clostridium botulinum, the agent that causes botulism. Most infants who ingest botulism Clostridium botulinum toxin will initially develop constipation, poor feeding, loss of head control, and difficulty swallowing. Testing for C. botulinum is coordinated with an out-of-state laboratory on a case-by-case basis. This testing requires a consult with our state Epidemiologists, who can be reached at 406-444-0273.

  • Please keep formula for at least one month in case testing is indicated.

  • Specimen collection for Infant botulism: 10g to 20g of raw stool (a walnut-sized amount) in a sterile preservative-free container. Keep refrigerated and ship on frozen ice packs to keep cold. Stool can be collected before or after administration of BabyBIG (botulism immune globulin).

Newborn

• Newborn Bloodspot Screening

  • Following the Montana Newborn Screening Advisory Committee's recommendation, the Montana Public Health Laboratory (MTPHL) will be adding Pompe disease to the Montana newborn screening panel. Testing will be conducted at the Wisconsin State Lab of Hygiene beginning on January 15, 2026.  Pompe disease will be reported as Screen Negative, Screen Positive, or Inconclusive. 

    • The NBS fee will increase to $161.80
    • If you have additional questions, please contact Jeanne Lee at 406-444-3040 or Nikki Goosen at 406-444-5375.
  • Click here for more information and a sample report.

Molecular

• Bordetella Pertussis by PCR Testing

  • MTPHL is now requiring that all specimens submitted for Bordetella pertussis PCR testing be shipped on ice packs and maintained in a cold condition during transport. This ensures specimen integrity and improves the accuracy of PCR detection. Please ensure submissions meet all transport requirements to avoid rejection or recollection. 

• Respiratory Season is Here — What You Need to Know for 2025–2026

  • The Montana Public Health Laboratory is ramping up influenza surveillance to track statewide activity, circulating strains, and antiviral resistance. This year’s program mirrors last season, with 14 hospital labs submitting two specimens weekly and 33 additional labs receiving fee-waived tests for confirmation. Facilities are also encouraged to report molecular flu and RSV testing numbers, as well as suspected clusters or outbreaks, to strengthen statewide monitoring. Please send influenza specimens in viral transport media, ship them in cold condition, and use the online portal for surveillance requests. Thank you for your participation!

  • Click here for more information.

• Report Your Flu/RSV Molecular Testing Numbers

  • Montana uses data from molecular surveillance partners to monitor influenza and RSV activity. Reporting this data is completely voluntary, but we ask that laboratories performing this testing consider reporting to help strengthen our data and analyses. You can report your molecular testing numbers here.

IT Corner

• New User access request process is LIVE! 

  • We are excited to announce a new process for submitting user access requests for the lab portal. Authorized individuals can now submit access requests on behalf of their facility online using their OKTA account.

  • Here is a brief overview of the process:

    • Authorized person (lab manager, supervisor) submits authorization request

    • Lab LIMS team is notified and approves the request

    • The user(s) receive an email instructing them to create an OKTA account and submit their confidentiality agreement online

    • Once the user has completed the confidentiality agreement, our IT department is notified and links the user’s OKTA account to the lab portal

    • Once the lab portal has been linked to the user’s OKTA account, the lab LIMS team is notified, and they set up the user account in the lab portal

    • Once the user is set up in the lab portal, they receive an email with instructions on how to access the portal.

  • Note that user access requests must be initiated by an authorized individual on the user’s behalf. Users cannot request access for themselves unless they are an authorized individual (lab manager, supervisor, clinic manager, independent midwife, etc).

  • The authorizing individual must also already have an OKTA account to access the Access Authorization Request.

  • Please follow this link for detailed instructions, including a link to the MT Laboratory Portal Access Authorization Request. A link to the request is also available on the Quick Links menu in the lab portal.

  • Please be aware that users will receive several automated emails throughout the process. We apologize, but we are unable to turn them off. Please see the instructions for the emails you need to pay attention to. The others are only confirmations of the requests being created and require no action.

• Verification of Provider Information

  • When selecting a provider for a test order, please pay attention to the contact information displayed on the search screen.  If the provider’s address has changed, especially if they have moved to a different city, please create a ticket using “Contact Info Update” as the reason and ask us to update the information.  If you don’t have the full address for the provider, please include the city or town so we can try to get the correct information.

  • We have a project underway to update provider information in our system so results that get reported to public health can be assigned to the correct jurisdiction, and timely contact can be made. 

What's Eating at You in Your Lab? Tis the season, the season to eat! I’ve heard it said that October marks the downward spiral into holiday obesity, and while this article is not about obesity, it is about all of the delicious treats that start trickling in. Between October and December, we get to indulge in candy, sweet and savory baked goods, and delicious casseroles. However, in the laboratory, we don’t often have time to sit in a breakroom and enjoy, if we even have a breakroom… What’s a lab rat to do? Click here for more information.

Reminders:

• Dear Labbey

  • Please send in your dear Labbey questions to cfortune@mt.gov. We would love to help answer any questions you have.

• Careers

  • Interested in a Public Health Laboratory career? Click here to see current vacancies: https://statecareers.mt.gov/. Search “lab” in the keywords to find vacancies.

• Lab Portal Information

  • All of our lab portal procedures and access paperwork can be found on our website. Here is the link to the direct page with all of our forms and procedures: https://dphhs.mt.gov/publichealth/LaboratoryServices/onlineorderingandresults.

  • There is also a link in our lab portal that will take you directly to this page. This link can be found under quick links. "MT PHL Lab Portal Procedures and Forms". 

• Courier 

  • Courier will not be running on Christmas Day and New Year's Day.
    • Courier will continue with normal schedule after this date. 

  • Please click here for our full courier schedule.

• Previous Laboratory Sentinels 

  • All previous Laboratory Sentinels can be found on our website on the column on the left hand side by selecting "Public Health Laboratory Newsletter". Here is a link to all our previous Laboratory Sentinels.