Notifiable organisms and how to report them

All laboratories in England with a primary diagnostic role must report a confirmed notifiable organism to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA, previously Public Health England). 

Read the guidance for diagnostic laboratories on Reporting to UKHSA: a guide for diagnostic laboratories (PDF, 733 KB, 35 pages).

For more details on the responsibilities of laboratories, see page 28 of Health Protection Legislation (England) Guidance 2010. 

List of notifiable organisms (causative agents) 

Causative agents notifiable to UKHSA under the Health Protection (Notification) Regulations 2010: 

• Bacillus anthracis
• Bacillus cereus (only if associated with food poisoning)
• Bordetella pertussis
• Borrelia spp
• Brucella spp
• Burkholderia mallei
• Burkholderia pseudomallei
• Campylobacter spp
• Candidozyma auris (previously known as Candida auris)
• Carbapenemase-producing Gram-negative bacteria
• Chikungunya virus
• Chlamydophila psittaci
• Clostridium botulinum
• Clostridium perfringens (only if associated with food poisoning)
• Clostridium tetani
• Corynebacterium diphtheriae
• Corynebacterium ulcerans
• Coxiella burnetii
• Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever virus
• Cryptosporidium spp
• Dengue virus
• Ebola virus
• Echinococcus spp
• Entamoeba histolytica
• Francisella tularensis
• Giardia lamblia
• Guanarito virus
• Haemophilus influenzae (invasive)
• Hanta virus
• hepatitis A, B, C, delta, and E viruses
• influenza virus
• Junin virus
• Kyasanur Forest disease virus
• Lassa virus
• Legionella spp 
• Leptospira interrogans
• Listeria monocytogenes 
• Machupo virus 
• Marburg virus 
• measles virus
• Middle East respiratory virus coronavirus (MERS-CoV)
• mpox (previously known as monkeypox) virus 
• mumps virus 
• Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex 
• Neisseria meningitidis
• non-human influenza A subtypes
• norovirus
• Omsk haemorrhagic fever virus 
• Plasmodium falciparum, vivax, ovale, malariae, knowlesi 
• polio virus (wild or vaccine types) 
• rabies virus (classical rabies and rabies-related lyssaviruses)
• respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)
• Rickettsia spp 
• Rift Valley fever virus 
• Rubella virus 
• Sabia virus 
• Salmonella spp 
• SARS-CoV-2 
• Shigella spp 
• Streptococcus pneumoniae (invasive) 
• Streptococcus pyogenes (invasive) 
• tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV)
• Toxoplasma (congenital toxoplasmosis)
• Trichinella spp
• Varicella zoster virus 
• Variola virus 
• Verocytotoxigenic Escherichia coli (including E.coli O157) 
• Vibrio cholerae 
• West Nile Virus 
• yellow fever virus 
• Yersinia pestis 
• Yersinia spp

Subscribe to reports 

UKHSA publishes reports on the numbers of laboratory notifications received. UKHSA’s Information management section collates the returns of registered medical practitioner (RMP) notifications and laboratory causative agents nationally and publishes analyses of local and national trends weekly. 

Subscribe to reports by email. 

See notifications of infectious diseases and causative agents report. 

References 

For data older than one year see the NOIDs collection. 

Health protection legislation in England gives public authorities powers and duties to prevent and control risks to human health from infection or contamination, including by chemicals and radiation. 

See the revised measures within the amended Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984  and its accompanying regulations. 

The legislation adopts an all hazards approach, and, in addition to the specified list of infectious diseases, there is a requirement to notify cases of other infections or contamination which could present a significant risk to human health.  

Private providers

Commercial private providers of diagnostic testing services, including SARS-CoV-2 need to comply will all relevant legislative requirements. This includes, from 1 January 2024, private providers (diagnostic laboratories, sample collection and point of care testing) being accredited against the relevant ISO standards by a signatory of the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation Mutual Recognition Agreement including the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS). For further information, see The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Testing Requirements and Standards) (England) Regulations 2020. To discuss accreditation, contact the appropriate accreditation body.