The Department of Health will appeal a federal decision to revoke its laboratory’s license for a year.

Mississippi’s lab processes more than 600,000 specimens a year, including everything from suspected West Nile virus to wastewater.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which oversees 189,000 U.S. labs, cited the Mississippi lab for violating federal protocol.

State Health Officer Dr. Ed Thompson says at issue is an interpretation of CLIA’s instructions for proficiency testing.

Thompson says if the revocation is upheld, it would not affect environmental testing on water.