Microbiology reference laboratories perform a crucial role within public health systems. This role was especially evident during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this Viewpoint, we emphasise the importance of microbiology reference laboratories and highlight the types of digital data and expertise they provide, which benefit national and international public health. We also highlight the value of surveillance initiatives among collaborative international partners, who work together to share, analyse, and interpret data, and then disseminate their findings in a timely manner. Microbiology reference laboratories have substantial impact at regional, national, and international levels, and sustained support for these laboratories is essential for public health in both pandemic and non-pandemic times.

Bacterial Respiratory Infection Service Scottish Microbiology Reference Laboratory Glasgow UK

Bacterial Respiratory Infection Service Scottish Microbiology Reference Laboratory Glasgow UK; College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences University of Glasgow Glasgow UK

Centre for Respiratory Diseases and Meningitis National Institute for Communicable Diseases a Division of the National Health Laboratory Service Johannesburg South Africa

CIBER de Enfermedades Respiratorias Instituto de Salud Carlos 3 Madrid Spain; Spanish Pneumococcal Reference Laboratory National Centre of Microbiology Instituto de Salud Carlos 3 Madrid Spain

CIBER de Epidemiología y Salud Públic CIBERESP Barcelona Spain; Instituto de Recerca Pediatrica Hospital Sant Joan de Deu Barcelona Spain

CIBER de Epidemiología y Salud Públic CIBERESP Barcelona Spain; Instituto de Recerca Pediatrica Hospital Sant Joan de Deu Barcelona Spain; Medicine Department Universitat Internacional de Catalunya Barcelona Spain

Clinical Innovation Unit Rotunda Dublin Ireland; Department of Clinical Microbiology The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland Dublin Ireland; Irish Meningitis and Sepsis Reference Laboratory Children's Health Ireland at Temple Street Dublin Ireland

Department of Bacteria Parasites and Fungi Statens Serum Institut Copenhagen Denmark

Department of Bacteriology and Mycology Respiratory and Meningeal Diseases Section Laboratorio Central de Salud Pública Asunción Paraguay

Department of Biology University of Oxford Oxford UK

Department of Clinical Microbiology Karolinska University Hospital Stockholm Sweden; Department of Microbiology Tumor and Cell Biology Karolinska Institutet Stockholm Sweden

Department of Clinical Microbiology Landspitali The National University Hospital of Iceland Reykjavik Iceland

Department of Clinical Microbiology Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland University of Medicine and Health Sciences Dublin Ireland

Department of Clinical Microbiology The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland Dublin Ireland; Department of Microbiology Children's Health Ireland at Temple Street Dublin Ireland; Irish Meningitis and Sepsis Reference Laboratory Children's Health Ireland at Temple Street Dublin Ireland

Department of Clinical Microbiology The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland Dublin Ireland; Irish Meningitis and Sepsis Reference Laboratory Children's Health Ireland at Temple Street Dublin Ireland

Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology and Prevention Statens Serum Institut Copenhagen Denmark

Department of Medical Microbiology and Infection Prevention and Netherlands Reference Laboratory for Bacterial Meningitis Amsterdam University Medical Center University of Amsterdam Amsterdam Netherlands

Department of Microbiology Immunology and Transplantation KU Leuven Leuven Belgium; National Reference Centre for Invasive Streptococcus pneumoniae University Hospitals Leuven Leuven Belgium

Department of Pediatrics Seoul National University College of Medicine Seoul South Korea

Department of Public Health Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare Helsinki Finland

Division of Public Health Surveillance and Response National Institute for Communicable Diseases a Division of the National Health Laboratory Service Johannesburg South Africa

Faculté de Médecine et Pharmacie Université de Mons Mons Belgium; National Reference Centre for Haemophilus influenzae Laboratoires des Hôpitaux Universitaires de Bruxelles Universitaire Laboratorium Brussel LHUB ULB Brussels Belgium

German National Reference Center for Meningococci and Haemophilus influenzae Institute for Hygiene and Microbiology University of Würzburg Würzburg Germany

Government Central Laboratories Ministry of Health Jerusalem Israel

Grupo de Microbiologia Instituto Nacional de Salud Bogotá Colombia

Immunisation and Countermeasures Division UK Health Security Agency London UK

Institute of Clinical Pathology and Medical Research NSW Health Pathology NSW Sydney Australia

Institute of Clinical Pathology and Medical Research NSW Health Pathology NSW Sydney Australia; Sydney Infectious Diseases Institute University of Sydney Sydney NSW Australia

Instituto de Recerca Pediatrica Hospital Sant Joan de Deu Barcelona Spain

Invasive Bacterial Infections Unit and National Reference Centre for Meningococci and Haemophilus influenzae Institut Pasteur Paris France

Irish Meningitis and Sepsis Reference Laboratory Children's Health Ireland at Temple Street Dublin Ireland

Laboratoire National de Sante Dudelange Luxembourg

Laboratory of Medical Biology and National Reference Centre for Pneumococci Intercommunal Hospital of Créteil Créteil France

Meningococcal Reference Laboratory Institute of Environmental Science and Research Limited Porirua New Zealand

National Centre of Microbiology and CIBER de enfermedades infecciosas Instituto de Salud Carlos 3 Madrid Spain

National Laboratory for Meningitis and Pneumococcal Infections Center of Bacteriology Institute Adolfo Lutz São Paulo Brazil

National Meningitis Reference Laboratory School of Public Health University of West Attica Athens Greece

National Microbiology Laboratory Public Health Agency of Canada Winnipeg Canada

National Reference Centre for Bacterial Meningitis National Medicines Institute Warsaw Poland

National Reference Centre for Neisseria meningitidis Sciensano Brussels Belgium

National Reference Laboratory for Meningococci National Centre of Microbiology Instituto de Salud Carlos 3 Madrid Spain

National Reference Laboratory for Neisseria meningitidis Department of Laboratory Medicine Clinical Microbiology Faculty of Medicine and Health Örebro University Örebro Sweden

NRL for Haemophilus Infections National Institute of Public Health Prague Czech Republic

NRL for Meningococcal Infections National Institute of Public Health Prague Czech Republic

NRL for Streptococcal Infections National Institute of Public Health Prague Czech Republic

NRL for Streptococcal Infections National Institute of Public Health Prague Czech Republic; Department of Air Borne Bacterial Infections National Institute of Public Health Prague Czech Republic; Centre for Epidemiology and Microbiology National Institute of Public Health Prague Czech Republic

Nuffield Department of Population Health University of Oxford Oxford UK

Public Health Agency of Sweden Solna Sweden

Public Health Wales Cardiff UK

Reference Laboratory for Streptococci University Hospital RWTH Aachen Aachen Germany

Respiratory and Vaccine Preventable Bacteria Reference Unit UK Health Security Agency London UK

Staphylococcus and Streptococcus Reference Section AMRHAI UK Health Security Agency London UK

Streptococcal Reference Laboratory Institute of Environmental Science and Research Limited Porirua New Zealand

Swiss National Reference Centre for Invasive Pneumococci Institute for Infectious Diseases University of Bern Bern Switzerland

Trinity College Dublin The University of Dublin Dublin Ireland

University of Otago Christchurch New Zealand

References provided by Crossref.org