Staff Sgt. Christopher Hearst, 2nd Medical Support Squadron laboratory technician, readies a quality control test card on Barksdale Air Force Base, La., Aug. 2, 2013. The quality control card is used to check the reagents, a substance that brings about a chemical reaction, and whether they are contaminated or not. If contaminated, then the actual test will be inconclusive. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Benjamin Gonsier)
Staff Sgt. Christopher Hearst, 2nd Medical Support Squadron laboratory technician, places a blood sample on a rapid plasma reagin test card on Barksdale Air Force Base, La., Aug. 2, 2013. The RPR test checks for antibodies inside the blood that may determine whether someone has a specific disease. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Benjamin Gonsier)
Staff Sgt. David Eley, 2nd Medical Support Squadron laboratory technician, places a blood sample into a centrifuge on Barksdale Air Force Base, La., Aug. 2, 2013. The centrifuge spins at 40,000 revolutions per minute for five minutes. The spinning separates the red blood cells from the plasma, both which are used for different kinds of tests. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Benjamin Gonsier)
Staff Sgt. David Eley, 2nd Medical Support Squadron laboratory technician, looks at a blood sample on Barksdale Air Force Base, La., Aug. 2, 2013. The 2nd MDSS laboratory technicians conduct numerous tests on blood and urine sample, which help doctors make diagnosis on patients. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Benjamin Gonsier)
Staff Sgt. David Eley, 2nd Medical Support Squadron laboratory technician, places plasma samples into a biohazard bag on Barksdale Air Force Base, La., Aug. 2, 2013. Samples that cannot be tested by the laboratory are prepared and shipped off to another facility that has the capability to conduct more extensive tests. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Benjamin Gonsier)
Red blood cells appear through a microscope on Barksdale Air Force Base, La., Aug. 2, 2013. The 2nd Medical Support Squadron laboratory processes more than 15,800 blood and urine samples a month. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Benjamin Gonsier)