Collection

Rare and imported pathogens laboratory (RIPL)

RIPL specialises in the diagnosis and management of unusual or hazardous infectious diseases present in the UK or imported into the country.

RIPL provides medical and laboratory specialist services to the NHS and other healthcare providers and can also:

  • accept requests from internationally accredited health service providers
  • handle forensic samples
  • test samples for a range of pathogens from potentially contaminated sites including anthrax from construction sites; for information about environmental testing, contact RIPL

RIPL doesn’t provide services directly to patients.

The National leptospirosis service (NLS) offers a coordinated approach to patient centred diagnostics across 2 sites:

The single port of entry for testing and clinical information will be at RIPL.

Contact

Rare and imported pathogens laboratory (RIPL)

UK Health Security Agency
Manor Farm Road
Porton Down
Wiltshire
SP4 0JG

Email ripl@ukhsa.gov.uk

Telephone 01980 612348 (available 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday)

DX address DX 6930400, Salisbury 92 SP

Services and guidance

RIPL is a specialist centre for advice and diagnosis for a wide range of unusual viral and bacterial infections including:

  • imported fevers, including viral haemorrhagic fevers like Ebola and Congo Crimean haemorrhagic fever
  • arthropod-borne diseases caused by viruses like Dengue, Chikungunya, West Nile and hantaviruses
  • bacterial diseases including rickettsial infections, leptospirosis, Q fever, anthrax, tularemia
  • Lyme borreliosis and related tick-borne infections

How to access services

Published 1 July 2014
Last updated 28 July 2016 + show all updates
  1. Restructured page, moved documents to collection.

  2. Added guidance about anthrax testing in building sites, and sample form

  3. First published.