Head: Věra Lebedová, M.D.

• monitors characteristics of Haemophilus strains isolated in microbiology laboratories (verification of results from field laboratories and Haemophilus influenzae biotyping and serotyping);
• cooperates in surveillance programs for invasive diseases caused by Haemophilus influenzae in the Czech Republic;
• cooperates in antimicrobial susceptibility testing of Haemophilus influenzae;
• stores Haemophilus strains for further analysis;
• determines the serum levels of antibodies against Haemophilus influenzae b by Enzyme-Linked ImmunoSorbent Assay (ELISA);
• provides guidance to microbiology laboratories in the Czech Republic;
• provides pregraduate and postgraduate training, consulting, information, and courses;
• updates, tests, and develops diagnostic methods for Haemophilus strains;
• implements and uses molecular biological diagnostic methods;
• regularly updates the recommended standard laboratory methods;
• cooperates with the ECDC in the European Invasive Bacterial Diseases Surveillance Network (EU-IBD) project  focused on the standardization and quality improvement of the laboratory diagnosis  of invasive bacterial diseases, including the implementation of molecular biological methods, with the aim of obtaining internationally comparable data to be reported to the TESSy (The European Surveillance System);
• successfully participates in the international external quality assessment schemes.