Genesis Reference Laboratories

10/28/2025

Join us in celebrating our October work anniversaries! We’re so grateful for your commitment, expertise, and the care you bring to everything you do. Your hard work helps us make a difference every day at Genesis Reference Labs. Here’s to many more years of success together!

10/23/2025

Hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) is a common infectious disease that occurs most often in children but can also occur in adolescents and occasionally in adults. In most cases, the disease is mild and self-limiting, with common symptoms including fever, painful sores in the mouth, and a rash with blisters on hands, feet and buttocks. However, more severe symptoms such as meningitis, encephalitis and polio-like paralysis may occur.

HFMD is caused by viruses that belong to the enterovirus family. However, coxsackievirus A16, a type of enterovirus, is typically the most common cause of HFMD in the United States.

To prevent the spread of HFMD, the CDC recommends hand washing and avoiding close contact with people who are sick. If a close loved one is infected, cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched surfaces and avoiding touching your eyes, nose, and mouth, especially with unwashed hands, may help reduce the chance of getting sick. HFMD can spread quickly at schools and day care centers.

To learn more about Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease (HFMD), please see the following link: https://www.cdc.gov/hand-foot-mouth/index.html

To learn more about Genesis Reference Labs’ molecular testing offerings which include using real time PCR to identify coxsackievirus, and other important pathogens, please call: (844) 510-0194.

10/21/2025

Happy Birthday to our amazing October team members! Your dedication and positivity make Genesis Reference Labs an even better place to work. Wishing you a fantastic year ahead filled with success, laughter, and good health.

10/17/2025

Did you know that prescription drugs thrown in the trash can be retrieved to be abused or illegally sold, or that drugs flushed down toilets contaminate the water supply? The drug overdose epidemic in the United States is considered a public health, public safety and national security threat.

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) hosts National Prescription Take Back Day during the last Saturday of the months of April and October. The DEA sponsors collection sites throughout the country where medications can be dropped off for proper disposal. It is encouraged to bring any expired, unused or unwanted medications to designated collection sites for proper disposal.

To prepare for Take Back Day:

● Locate all medications in your household and ensure that they are securely stored (all lids are tightly on bottles, away from the reach of children and pets, etc.);
● Inventory the medications and identify which are unwanted and/or have expired dates;
● Label each of those identified medications with clear signage that indicates disposal; and
● Take them to a collection site between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m

Visit https://www.cbp.gov/employee-resources/health-wellness/substance-abuse-prevention/national-take-back-day to find resources to help you dispose of unneeded medications in your home, seek treatment for a substance use disorder and learn more about the drug overdose epidemic in the United States.

10/16/2025

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) expects the upcoming U.S. fall and winter respiratory disease season will likely have a similar combined number of peak hospitalizations due to COVID-19, influenza, and RSV compared to last season. CDC's outlook is based on historical trends, expert opinion, and scenario modeling results.

This outlook serves as a baseline for what could occur during the 2025-2026 season. It is intended to provide decision-makers with information to assist in public health preparedness for respiratory virus illnesses during respiratory season (defined as October through mid-May). This includes when hospitals might experience the most demand due to COVID-19, influenza, and RSV. This outlook is updated every two months or as warranted during the respiratory season.

To access this original CDC topic on the respiratory season outlook, please see https://www.cdc.gov/cfa-qualitative-assessments/php/data-research/season-outlook25-26.html

To learn more about Genesis Reference Labs’ molecular testing offerings which include using PCR technology to identify COVID-19, influenza, RSV, and other important respiratory pathogens, please call: (844) 510-0194.

10/09/2025

Before the MMR vaccine (the vaccine effective against measles, mumps, and rubella) was available in the United States, most children got mumps by the time they reached adolescence.

Since the implementation of the mumps vaccination program in 1967, reported cases decreased by more than 99%. During this time where children regularly received two doses of MMR vaccine, cases decreased from 152,209 in 1968 down to 231 in 2003.

Despite this preventative effort, there has been an increase in reported mumps cases and outbreaks in the United States since 2006. Most of these cases were in young adults and vaccinated people. Large outbreaks have occurred in settings where people have intense or frequent close contact, like college campuses, close-knit communities, and large gatherings.

Modern day public health tracking allows the public to stay educated and informed on mumps and risks of transmission.

To learn more out mumps cases and outbreaks and access reported U.S. mumps cases by jurisdiction and year, please see https://www.cdc.gov/mumps/outbreaks/index.html

To learn more about Genesis Reference Labs’ molecular testing offerings which include using PCR technology to identify mumps and other important respiratory pathogens, please call: (844) 510-0194.

10/07/2025

October is Substance Use & Misuse Prevention Month.

Prevention Month is meant to lift up the national conversation — to showcase prevention’s positive effects on communities across the country.

Click link below for resources to help individuals, families, schools, communities (and anyone!) to tell their prevention story, access events, become involved in prevention, planning, and more.

https://www.samhsa.gov/about/digital-toolkits/substance-use-prevention-month

09/30/2025

Synthetic opioids have increased the threat of the ongoing opioid epidemic. Nearly 70% of all drug poisonings and overdose deaths in 2023 involved synthetic opioids, primarily fentanyl. Also, among these substances is carfentanil, which stands out – at this time – as one of the deadliest fentanyl analogues. This white, powdery drug closely resembles other substances like fentanyl or cocaine, but its danger far exceeds that of nearly any other opioid on the street.

Carfentanil is a synthetic opioid originally developed for veterinary use, more specifically to tranquilize large animals such as elephants. It is extraordinarily potent and not approved for human use. In fact, it is estimated to be 10,000 times more potent than morphine and 100 times stronger than fentanyl.
Because of its strength, a nearly microscopic amount of carfentanil can induce a powerful, and often deadly, effect in humans.

Carfentanil is a chilling reminder of how the opioid epidemic continues to evolve and introduces new threats at an alarming pace.

To access this original United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) webpage and learn more about carfentanil and it’s increasing prevalence, please see https://www.dea.gov/stories/2025/2025-05/2025-05-14/carfentanil-synthetic-opioid-unlike-any-other

To learn more about how Genesis Reference Laboratories can provide toxicology testing to aid in medication monitoring and detection of substance use, including fentanyl, and other fentanyl analogs like carfentanil, please call: (844) 510-0194.⁠

09/25/2025

Happy Work Anniversary to our incredible team members! Your hard work, expertise, and dedication make a difference every single day. Thank you for being an essential part of our mission to provide trusted care and reliable results here in Central Florida. Here’s to many more years of success together!

09/23/2025

What is Helicobacter pylori?

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is a bacterium that grows in the mucus layer that coats the inside of the human stomach. Although many bacteria cannot survive the stomach’s acid environment, H. pylori is able to neutralize the acidity of its local environment in the stomach, embed, and attach into the mucus layer of the stomach.

H. pylori mainly spreads from person to person through oral contact with stool (fecal–oral), saliva (oral–oral), or vomit (gastric–oral). In most populations, this bacterium is first acquired during childhood. Infection is more likely in children living in poverty, in crowded conditions, and in areas with poor sanitation.

Who should be tested and treated for an H. pylori infection?

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), people with active gastric or duodenal ulcers or a documented history of ulcers should be tested for H. pylori, and, if they have an infection, should be treated. Testing for and treating H. pylori infection is also recommended after surgery for early gastric cancer or low-grade gastric MALT lymphoma.

However, most experts agree that the available evidence does not support widespread testing for and eradication of H. pylori infection in cases when no symptoms are present. Unnecessary or inappropriate eradication treatment may be contributing to the increase in H. pylori resistance to several antibiotics in the United States.

To access this original National Institutes of Health (NIH) webpage, see link: https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/infectious-agents/h-pylori-fact-sheet -should-be-tested-and-treated-for-an-h-pylori-infection

To learn more about Genesis Reference Labs’ molecular testing offerings which include using PCR technology on fecal swabs to identify H. pylori and other gastrointestinal pathogens, please call: (844) 510-0194.

09/19/2025

We’re thrilled to share some great news! Genesis Reference Laboratories has earned an NPS of 88, an outstanding score that sets a new standard in our field. Big thanks to our customers & team for helping make this happen. Your trust drives us.

Click the link below to read the full press release from the Associated Press.

Genesis Reference Labs earns an industry-leading Net Promoter Score of 88, showcasing its commitment to diagnostic excellence and customer satisfaction.

09/19/2025

Wishing a very Happy Birthday to our amazing team member! Your dedication helps us provide accurate results and compassionate care every day. Here’s to a year filled with health, happiness, and success!