October 2026 lab bulletins

Due to rising cases of influenza, the ability to order the rapid influenza/RSV nucleic acid test (NAT) was reinstated on Sept. 24.

No changes are planned to the respiratory virus testing algorithm for the 2026-27 respiratory virus season; open the bulletin.

Additional bulletins:

• Effective Sept. 29, C1 Esterase Inhibitor Quantitation (C1EIQ) testing moved to the Optilite instrument platform; open the bulletin.
• Effective Sept. 29, Apolipoprotein A1 (Apo A1) and Apolipoprotein B100 (Apo B100) testing were provincially standardized to one instrument platform; open the bulletin.
• Effective Oct. 1, new reportable parameters were added to CBC/CBCD and Retic reports; open the bulletin.
• Effective Monday, Oct. 5, specific variant testing (sequence and copy number variants) for most inherited cancer, cardiac, connective tissue, and vascular disorders will be performed using next generation sequencing (NGS) with the entire gene of interest being analyzed; open the bulletin.
• Effective Oct. 1, the University of Alberta Hospital site resumed offering IgG Subclasses and IgG4 testing; open the bulletin.