In This Issue • NE Area PN Meeting • Lab Profile: FDA/CVM • Server Training • FAQs • BioNumerics Workshop • Publications and Abstracts • Lab Profile: NC • Welcomes and Farewells

VOLUME 4 • ISSUE 1 • WINTER 2005

tured to permit the greatest amount of time were an opportunity for all states within the NORTHEAST AREA for breakout discussions in small groups. region to hear the challenges faced by their Participants from each state were randomly colleagues, as well as to learn about the PULSENET MEETING grouped to allow for more open discussion successful components of the many different Lee Wotherspoon, MPH, PFGE Laboratory, Massachusetts State Laboratory and greater exposure to new ideas. systems presented. The presentations shed Institute, Jamaica Plain, MA At the start of the conference, each state light on the enormous diversity in the activi- The first Northeast Area PulseNet Meeting presented an overview of the foodborne ill- ties surrounding PulseNet in each state. The was held June 22–23, 2004, in Boston, ness surveillance and response systems in Northeast states vary greatly in areas such MA. Hosted by the Massachusetts Pulsed- place within their state. The laboratorians, as funding, dedicated personnel, laborato- Field Gel Electrophoresis (PFGE) Lab and epidemiologists, and directors from each ry resources, and working relationships the National Laboratory Training Network state jointly created these presentations to between laboratory and epidemiology staff. (NLTN), the meeting was attended by lab provide the perspectives of the various par- The breakout sessions following the state directors, epidemiologists, and laboratori- ties involved in surveil- presentations challenged participants to ans from Connecticut, Maine, lance and response. The state presentations (Continued on page 2) Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont, the Centers for Disease Control and LABORATORY PROFILE: FDA/CVM Prevention (CDC), and the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL). The meeting was closely modeled after the FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION/CENTER Midwest Area Meeting hosted by Minnesota in October of 2003. Many of FOR VETERINARY MEDICINE (FDA/CVM) the ideas generated by that meeting were used to develop an agenda that would Shaohua Zhao, DVM, MPVM, Ph.D., Office of Research, Food and Drug decision-making by the CVM. Currently, the allow for multidisciplinary discussions of Administration/Center for Veterinary Medicine, Laurel, MD division is involved in three major pro- improving foodborne disease sur- The Food and Drug grams: the National Antimicrobial veillance in the Northeast and Administration (FDA) Resistance Monitoring System (NARMS); nationwide. Center for Veterinary the National Committee for Clinical The goals of the meeting were Medicine (CVM) Laboratory Standards (NCCLS), focusing on to (1) openly discuss issues affect- joined PulseNet the standardization of antimicrobial suscep- ing identification and response to in 1998. The tibility testing; and PulseNet. There are five foodborne illness within PulseNet PulseNet laborato- microbiologists on the CVM PulseNet team: programs, (2) increase under- ry is located with- Dr. Shaohua Zhao, who oversees the pro- standing of epidemiology and labo- in the Division of gram; Sharon Friedman, who conducts ratory roles and activities within their Animal and Food PFGE analysis and is responsible for moni- public health system, (3) develop strate- Microbiology toring laboratory QA/QC; Sadaf Qaiyumi, gies to increase PulseNet effectiveness (DAFM), Office of who performs PFGE and also works on PCR in identification and response to food- Research in Laurel, and DNA sequence analysis in investigat- borne illness within PulseNet programs, MD. The overall ing the mechanisms of antimicrobial resist- and (4) develop recommendations for mission of the division ance; David Melka, who is responsible for implementing these strategies. is to conduct basic PFGE analysis of all Campylobacter isolat- The meeting was comprised of presen- and applied research on ed from NARMS; and Jason Abbott, who tations and breakout sessions. It was struc- zoonotic to support regulatory (Continued on page 4)

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PulseNet Meeting (Continued from page 1) participate in PulseNet-Area conference calls, and have CDC Health to encourage compliance with unfunded mandates. provide a template for how to share data between epi and (5) There is need for improved standardization. Standardized identify the strengths and weaknesses within lab programs (states that have successful programs for protocols are credited with the great success of the their state PulseNet programs. Participants sharing lab and epi data could provide CDC and other states laboratory end of the PulseNet program. Extending this were encouraged to discuss what some states with a template). standardization is recommended to improve the overall pro- were doing well that could be used to address (2) Laboratorians and epidemiologists are still searching for the gram. The participants would like CDC to recommend that problems within other states. The issues raised best algorithm to define a cluster. While most participants state epis use standardized tools and share field-tested and solutions offered covered a wide spectrum expressed a desire for CDC to make clear determinations, questionnaires. We would also like for CDC to improve the of topics. Among the key findings from this some steps were recommended to improve the process. standardization of the PFGE proficiency test. conference were: First, test all available isolates if possible to increase the (6) There is a lack of public awareness and political clout. (1) There is a need for improved Epi-Lab integration. Most par- library of patterns. Also, communicate with epidemiologists With resources being a No. 1 issue in most states, partici- ticipants described frustration with Epi-Lab relations at the before posting to the WebBoard, and involve epis in data pants express a concern that the public and the decision state or national level. Some of the Epi-Lab issues men- analysis; i.e. in determining the significance of a pattern at makers are not well enough aware of the important work tioned were lack of integrated data or ability to share data the state, regional, or national level. done by the PulseNet programs in our states. To help efficiently, one-way communication with no reports coming (3) WebBoard: We need to improve the postings and decrease insure the future of PulseNet, it is recommended that APHL back to the lab, and lack of understanding or appreciation the burden. While the WebBoard is recognized as a great assist public health laboratories in developing and carrying of roles and responsibilities for both laboratorians and epi- tool, many lab staff want better training on use of the out a PulseNet Public Relations Campaign by sending exec- demiologists. Collaborative solutions recommended for WebBoard. Better monitoring of the WebBoard is also rec- utive summaries to commissioners, governors, and legisla- improving Epi-Lab functioning at the state level were: create ommended at the state labs. In order to decrease the bur- tors and using presentations or mailings to increase knowl- a shared, cluster database available to lab and epi staff; den of the many postings, ideas generated at the confer- edge and presence of PulseNet as an essential component use existing tools such as weekly reports; seek IT support; ence such as simpler response fields, tallies, and checkbox- of implementing the mission of public health departments. develop communication strategies at the state level; send es have been recommended to CDC. reports to the lab once epi investigations are closed; devel- (4) There is a need for improved isolate and case report sub- Based on the key findings from the discus- op Epi-Lab working groups; and provide Lab 101 and Epi mission. Both the lab and epi staffs are limited in what sion sessions, the participants from each state 101 trainings, orientations, and shadowing. To improve they can do for foodborne disease surveillance and devised an action plan specifically tailored to PulseNet functioning at the regional and national levels, the response by the submission of isolates and case reports. To address the most important issues in their state. following actions were recommended: designate PulseNet improve submission, the following ideas were recommend- The action plans were presented by each state epidemiologist(s) in each state, combine Epi-X listings with ed: mandate isolate submission by updating requirements, (laboratorians, epidemiologists, and directors) corresponding WebBoard postings, provide and define epi and include a PulseNet and Epi overview on bioterrorism at the close of the meeting to offer a public privileges and responsibilities for PFGE data, have epis education/training offered to hospitals and Local Boards of (Continued on page 4)

Susan Hunter, M.S., Foodborne and Diarrheal Diseases PULSENET BIONUMERICS SERVER SETUP WORKSHOP Laboratory Section, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA participant had both a client and a server computer. This made it possible for the students to actually create a server database during the workshop and log on to it from their client database during the exercis- es. Topics covered and exercises performed included: an overview of PulseNet server setup including server scripts; setting up an on-line PulseNet server data- base; a practice session on setting up a PulseNet BioNumerics server database; database security-relat- ed topics; use of the client, server, and administrator Workshop participants gathered of independent practice and an additional question-and- scripts; overview of tables used by BioNumerics in the at a local restaurant answer session for specific concerns of the participants. context of PulseNet; and recommendations for success- The first PulseNet BioNumerics Server Setup Workshop The workshop began with a welcome and introduc- ful management of a PulseNet BioNumerics online was held on October 7–8, 2004, in Atlanta, GA. The tions by Dr. Bala Swaminathan from the CDC. database. According to the workshop evaluations, all workshop was sponsored by the CDC FDDB PulseNet PulseNet International representatives from Hong Kong, participants mentioned that the workshop would “posi- Team and APHL; faculty included Dr. Paul Vauterin from the United Kingdom, New Zealand, and Argentina tively or very positively influence their ability to set up Applied Maths, Brenda Brown, Robert Long, Paola attended, as well as CDC Division of Healthcare Quality a PulseNet BioNumerics server database.” They were Bordoni, and Susan Hunter from CDC. The workshop Promotion (DHQP) staff and USDA-ARS (VetNet) staff. pleased with the content and focus of the workshop, consisted of formal classroom-style presentations and Participants learned to set up and maintain a PulseNet and suggested that the “workshop should definitely be exercises for a day and a half, followed by a half day BioNumerics server database. For this workshop, each offered again in the future.”

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Frequently comb fits the Standard Casting Stand (170- 2. How do I troubleshoot a poor 3689), and the 15-well comb fits the quality gel? For example, the lanes do not Ask Questions Wide/Long Combination Casting Stand (170- run straight, the lower bands are not straight 3704). The Combination Comb Holder (170- across the lower part of the gel, there is more 1. What are the sizes of the combs 3699) can be used with either of these combs background than usual, etc. recommended by PulseNet? PulseNet and casting stands. When a new instrument is First, note if there were any changes in pro- recommends the 10-well Adjustable-Height purchased, a 15-Well Adjustable-Height cedure or reagents when making the plugs, gel, Comb (170-4326) and/or the 15-Well Comb Comb with 5-mm teeth (170-4324), which fits or running buffer (e.g., a new lot of the 10X TBE (170-3627), both of which have 10-mm-wide the smaller (standard) casting stand, is includ- or agarose), or if anything changed in the lab teeth for gel images sent to the National ed; additional combs and casting stands must since last “good” gel was run. If nothing obvi- Database. Lanes from combs with wider teeth be purchased. The prices in the 2004-2005 ous has changed, run another gel (this is a good are easier and more accurately analyzed than Bio-Rad catalog are $41.00 for the 10-well opportunity to check pattern and appearance of those from combs with smaller teeth (5-mm), comb and $70.00 for the 15-well comb (with- “new and untested” H9812 standards) to see if especially if the lane is distorted. The 10-well out the PulseNet discount). the problem persists on another gel, or if it was a one-time occurrence. Following are some reminders for setting up and run- PULSENET BIONUMERICS TRAINING WORKSHOPS ning PFGE gels: • Have dedicated electrical lines for the PFGE equipment. • Level the assembled casting stand before the gel is poured. • Equilibrate temperature of melted agarose to 54°C–56°C for 15 minutes before pouring gel. • Examine comb for distortion, and make sure it is in correct position in casting stand. • Level electrophoresis chamber before adding the buffer. (If the leveling bubble indicates the chamber is level, but the chamber rock- from side to side, one of the adjustable feet BioNumerics Training at CDC: L-R (back row): Brenda Brown, Desmond Jennings, Nehal Patel, Alpha Diallo, Diana Armstrong, Precilia Calimlim, Sherricka Simington, Jeffrey Antig, Melissa Butler, Merritt Adams, Molly Joyner, (Continued on page 5) Melba Torres, and Kristy Kubota. L-R (front row): Kimberely Myrick, Dominic Vacca, Paola Bordoni, Ewelina Lyszkowicz, Susan Van Duyne, Jennifer Kincaid, and Jana Lockett PUBLICATIONS AND ABSTRACTS Paola Bordoni, B.A., Foodborne and Diarrheal Diseases Laboratory Section, tered, students were briefed on the PulseNet WebBoard, • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA and pulled their newly learned abilities together in an Foley S L, Simjee S, Meng J, White D G, McDermott P F, and Zhao S. Evaluation of On September 15–17, 2004, PulseNet held Beginning and exercise where they were able to create and submit a Molecular Typing Methods for Intermediate BioNumerics Training Sessions at the CDC’s Koger WebBoard posting. The day came to a close as the storm’s O157:H7 isolates from Center campus in Atlanta, GA. At the same time, Hurricane Ivan winds pushed through Atlanta. Cattle, Food, and Human. Journal of Food Protection. 2004. 67:651-57. was making its way through the southeastern United States. The start of day three marked the beginning of the • Mazurek J, Salehi E, Propes D, Holt J, Bannerman T, Still, participants from as near as Tennessee to as far as Hawaii Intermediate BioNumerics Workshop, an all-day affair. A Nicholson L, Bundesen M, Duffy R, Moolenaar R. A braved the storm to attend the training. review of the previous day’s work got everyone up to Multistate Outbreak of enterica The storm did not dampen our spirits in the least. Beginning speed, and the more advanced tools of BioNumerics were Serotype Typhimurium Linked to Raw Milk Consumption - Ohio, 2003. Journal BioNumerics began early Wednesday morning with introductions presented. Some of the features of BioNumerics that were of Food Protection. 2004. 67: 2165-2170. and an overview of BioNumerics. The class was then led into shown were importing external databases, creating • Varma J, Greene K, Reller M, DeLong S, Trottier J, topics including PulseNet Masterscripts, BioNumerics installation, PulseNet bundles for WebBoard, introducing database Nowicki S, DiOrio M, Koch E, Bannerman T, York S, and processing a PFGE TIFF image. After lunch, the class dove management, creating a unique pattern list, querying Lambert-Fair M, Wells J, and Mead P. An into connecting to the national database, uploading, and access- Outbreak of Escherichia coli O157 Infection databases, clustering techniques, creating graphs and Following Exposure to a Contaminated ing data using the national database. After several exercises, charts, and working with subsets. The informative course Building. Journal of the American Medical the class was dismissed to rest in preparation for another busy offered numerous exercises, and although exhausted, the Association. 2003. 290(20):2790-12. day of training on Thursday. students were pleased with their newfound abilities in • Zhao S, Qaiyumi, S, Friedman S, Singh R, Foley On Thursday morning, the class learned to create and use com- BioNumerics. S L, White D G, McDermott P F, Donkar T, Bolin C, Bolin S, Munro S, Baron E J, and Walker R D. parisons. Using the national Salmonella database during exercises, At the close of the Beginning and Intermediate Characterization of Salmonella enterica participants performed a “hotlist” search on the national server Workshops, students were given certificates of completion. Serotype Newport Isolated from Humans and created clustering dendrograms. Once comparisons were mas- Congratulations to all the participants! and Food Animals. Journal of Clinical Microbiology. 2003. 41: 5366-5371.

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News

PulseNet Meeting (Continued from page 2) cated it was a constructive event for all partic- discussed, and further recommendations may commitment to take the momentum of the con- ipants. Participants appreciated the opportu- develop out of the lessons learned in the time ference home and improve the program in each nity to network with their regional colleagues since the conference. state. Some of the action plan items included and take part in in-depth discussions. A gen- The evolution of this conference from the establishing weekly Epi-Lab meetings, allowing eral consensus among the participants was meeting first held in Minnesota was an epis have access to the WebBoard, setting up that future regional meetings should include invaluable learning experience. The lab and epi trainings, offering college-level additional lectures on the basics of Massachusetts Department of Health would Epi courses for lab staff, setting up shared PFGE/PulseNet for epidemiologists and like to especially thank John Besser and drives and cluster databases, sending reports Epidemiologic Investigations for laboratorians. Dave Boxrud for helping to make this meet- to the state public health commissioner, and A follow-up to the action plans will be held dur- ing a success. The meeting’s materials are arranging site visits to hospitals. ing the next Northeast Area conference call. available to all others interested in hosting Evaluation data from the conference indi- Progress on each state’s action plan will be similar meetings.

APHL’s On the Front Line award hon- ors an individual or organization outside of bacterial pathogens that swine, and cattle. Antimicrobial susceptibility, the association’s membership who makes are resistant to drugs used molecular typing, and serotype data from this sur- significant contributions to APHL, its mem- to treat human illness. veillance study is compared to NARMS/FoodNet bership, and its mission. In recognition of To address these concerns, data to help understand the extent to which food- his innovative leadership, APHL has select- CVM, in conjunction with borne bacteria, including resistant strains, are ed Bala Swaminathan, Ph.D., to receive the CDC and 10 FoodNet being transmitted from food animals to humans first On the Front Line award. Dr. sites (California, via the meat supply. This data will help to define Swaminathan, chief of CDC’s Foodborne and Diarrheal Diseases Laboratory Units, Colorado, Connecticut, the primary animal sources of antimicrobial-resist- spearheaded the enormous success of PulseNet. This unique surveillance system Georgia, Maryland, ant foodborne bacteria. is widely recognized for its ability to assist in the early detection, rapid investiga- Minnesota, New Mexico, Our CVM PulseNet team also subtypes select tion, and effective intervention in the control of local, state, national, and even New York, Oregon, and isolates of Salmonella and E. coli obtained from international outbreaks of foodborne disease. Under Dr. Swaminathan’s guid- Tennessee), expanded the the ResistVet surveillance program in Mexico, as ance, the PulseNet network has expanded to include all state public health labo-

ANNOUNCEMENT NARMS program in 2002 well as the USDA-Agricultural Marketing ratories, some local and county public health laboratories, and an increasing to include surveillance of Services (USDA-AMS) produce survey program. number of international laboratories. Because of his dedication, many outbreaks retail meats for both antimi- In addition, we support all research activities at have been detected, countless cases of foodborne illness have been averted, lives crobial-resistant commen- CVM related to the molecular epidemiology of have been saved, and high costs of medical care have been avoided. sal and foodborne bacteri- foodborne diseases. Our division conducts Dr. Swaminathan has been an innovator, a motivator, a teacher, and a deter- al pathogens. Salmonella research on other typing methods, including ribo- mined advocate. He has made a major contribution to APHL, its membership, and Campylobacter isolat- typing, Rep-PCR, MLST, and protein profiling, to

SPECIAL and the mission of our public health laboratories. ed from FoodNet sites are identify host-specific biomarkers for Salmonella subtyped by PFGE and and Campylobacter. Our team provides full sup- LABORATORY PROFILE: FDA/CVM tested for antimicrobial susceptibility in accor- port to these research activities. We have also (Continued from page 1) dance with NCCLS methods. This surveillance been working closely with the FDA’s Center for allows CDC and CVM to monitor the antimicro- Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN) joined our team in 2003 from the Maryland bial susceptibility profiles of these bacteria at the PulseNet team in offering training courses and State Department of Public Health PulseNet point of purchase by the consumer, and to mon- technical support to the field laboratories of Laboratory. Jason is our image analyst and is itor prevalence, persistence, and distribution of FDA’s Office of Regulatory Affairs. also responsible for database maintenance and particular serotypes or clones of foodborne bac- To date, the CVM PulseNet database has communication with PulseNet WebBoard. Our teria in retail meats. This surveillance program generated over 3,200 PFGE data entries: 71% laboratories are well equipped as we have four serves as an early warning system by providing Salmonella, 19% Campylobacter, 9% E. coli, CHEF Mappers, a RiboPrinter®, an ABI 3700 information on susceptibility, serotype and, clon- and 1% Vibrio. The antimicrobial resistance pro- automatic DNA sequencer, two Sensititre auto- ality trends among bacteria present in the meat files and PFGE patterns from both the mated ARIS antimicrobial susceptibility systems, supply. The data from this program will provide NARMS/FoodNet and veterinary diagnostic and five thermocyclers, including a Roche additional information to assist CVM in making projects have been submitted to the CDC LightCycler®. regulatory decisions and formulating guidance National PulseNet database. We share this infor- CVM PulseNet has been actively engaged documents to protect public and animal health. mation with PulseNet participants through the with the CVM NARMS/FoodNet program. CVM PulseNet also has a collaborative proj- WebBoard whenever we have PFGE patterns CVM continues to strive to provide for the safe ect with five state veterinary diagnostic laborato- indistinguishable with potential cluster patterns. use of antimicrobials in food animals, while ries, including Arizona, Michigan, Missouri, Our database continues to expand as our ensuring that human antimicrobial therapies are North Carolina, and Tennessee. This project PulseNet program strives to meet new challenges not compromised. The main safety concern is focuses on subtyping and antimicrobial suscepti- in supporting surveillance and research activities that the use of antimicrobial drugs in food-pro- bility testing of Salmonella strains isolated from at CVM. ducing animals may lead to the emergence of the four major food animals: chickens, turkeys,

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TM News Frequently Asked (Continued from page 3) Denise Griffin is probably not touching the lab bench. When this NORTH CAROLINA and Shadia Barghothi happens, screw all four feet in most of the way certification from PulseNet for and then make any needed adjustments so all four TATE ABORATORY S L subtyping by PFGE of E. coli feet are on the lab bench and chamber is level). O157, Listeria monocyto- • Remove small pieces of agarose that may be on OF PUBLIC HEALTH genes, and Salmonella the sides of gel and bottom of black platform Leslie Wolf, Ph.D., Microbiology Branch, North Carolina State serotypes. She has cross- with a tissue so they will not float in the buffer Laboratory of Public Health, Raleigh, NC trained one of our and clog the lines. The mission of the North dle of a statewide Salmonella Bioterrorism Team members, • Be sure most of the posts on bottom of agarose Carolina State Laboratory of Enteritidis outbreak, which Ms. Shadia Barghothi, in trap are intact and firmly pushed into holes at Public Health (NCSLPH) is to involved an EpiAid team from PulseNet standardized PFGE front of electrophoresis chamber. provide certain medical and CDC. The addition of Denise protocols and procedures. • Confirm the gel is flat against the black plat- environmental laboratory serv- to the PulseNet lab, as well as Shadia has already con- form and the platform and gel frame are flat ices such as testing, consulta- the addition of a second tributed significantly to against the bottom of the chamber. tion, and training for public CHEF Mapper, allowed the PulseNet activities in North • Verify that the pump setting is correct (usually and private health provider surveillance and outbreak Carolina and quickly received ~70) for a buffer flow of ~0.75–1.0 liter/minute. organizations responsible for investigation activities to Salmonella certification. • Verify that the buffer is flowing freely through the promotion, protection, and increase dramatically. Denise and Shadia had the tubing and there are no large bubbles assurance of the health of Following CDC recommen- the misfortune of beginning in buffer stream. North Carolina citizens. dations, all E. coli O157:H7 PFGE work at a time when • Be sure tubing is not kinked or caught in corner PulseNet is one of the and Listeria monocytogenes “clean,” dedicated power of lid; move tubing around to eliminate any bub- important surveillance pro- isolates take priority for PFGE lines were difficult to come by bles or gaps in buffer stream. grams in the Special analysis. North Carolina has in our 30-year-old laboratory • Verify that the buffer temperature is 14°C ± Microbiology Laboratory with- high numbers of Salmonella building. After troubleshoot- 2°C during most of the run. in the Microbiology Unit. The isolates each year, thus priori- ing for well over a year and • Monitor the initial milliampere (ma) value, which NCSLPH began participating tization of PFGE analyses is repeating too many gels to should be 115 – 140 ma. (This value will depend in PulseNet in 1999 when Dr. based on serotype preva- count due to electrical distur- on formula of TBE buffer and the water quality Leslie Wolf, an Emerging lence, unusual local increases bances, Denise and Shadia and will increase during the run to ≤170). Infectious Disease Research and multistate outbreak investi- were able to set up the CHEF • Start the electrophoresis at least an hour before Fellow at the time, set up the gations. Surveillance on com- Mappers in a new, modular leaving for the day so you can monitor the tem- laboratory after being trained mon Salmonella serotypes BSL-3 laboratory adjacent to perature, flow, and ma value for major fluctua- by Dr. Denise Toney and such as Newport, Enteritidis, the main laboratory building. tions, which could indicate problems. Judith Carroll at the Typhimurium, Javiana, With stable power, they are If problem with gel appearance Department of Consolidated Heidelberg, and Muenchen is able to submit timely, and persists, refer to the troubleshooting section in Laboratory Services in carried out as personnel and now routinely, high-quality the instrument manual and/or the “General Richmond, VA. After subse- other resources allow. PFGE patterns to the national Maintenance Guide for PulseNet” that was quent training at the CDC, After Dr. Wolf moved into database. Despite the heroic distributed at the 2003 PulseNet Update NCSLPH began to officially an administrative position as efforts they have employed to Meeting in San Antonio, TX, for additional participate in PulseNet by the Assistant Laboratory produce high- quality gels solutions/suggestions. You might also post a attending annual update meet- Director in November 2002, (photo: Notice the red wagon message describing the problem, along with ings and submitting certifica- Denise became the lead labo- used to transfer gel supplies a gel image, to the PulseNet WebBoard tion gels for important ratorian with all PulseNet and reagent grade water), “Troubleshooting” Conference to see if others pathogens. responsibilities. In addition, Denise and Shadia enjoy par- have had the same problem and how/if it In July 2001, Ms. Denise she was trained to perform ticipating in PulseNet and was solved. You can also contact Bio-Rad Griffin joined the PulseNet lab- Norovirus RT-PCR for outbreak communicating with our state through their Website (discover.bio-rad.com oratory as a Laboratory situations, which occur epidemiologists, other or consult.bio-rad.com) or by calling Medical Specialist and began throughout the year. Since PulseNet labs, and 1-800-424-6723 and pressing “2.” the training process in the mid- then, Denise has received CDC.

DON’T MISS THIS! With live music, food, and drinks,“PulseNet: The Exhibit” opened in the Global Health Odyssey of the CDC on October 5, 2004. Among many things, the exhibit displays PulseNet’s “Innovations in American Government” award from the Ford Foundation and Harvard University, the “Least Wanted List,” PulseNet lab equipment, a video that shows laboratory procedures, and games that teach visitors how to match DNA fingerprints. Many people attended this unforgettable event and enjoyed learning about PulseNet’s past, present, and future.

www.cdc.gov/pulsenet 5 To receive regular copies of the PulseNet News, PulseNet News send your request to: A Publication of: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, PulseNet News The PulseNet News editorial committee: National Center for Infectious Diseases, c/o PulseNet Database Administration team, ([email protected]) Bala Swaminathan, Shari Rolando, Mary Ann Lambert- Division of Bacterial and Mycotic Diseases, 1600 Clifton Road, NE Fair, Susan Hunter, Efrain Ribot, Susan Van Duyne, Jennifer Kincaid, Kelley Hise, and Nehal Patel. Foodborne and Diarrheal Diseases Branch. Mailstop CO3 Atlanta, GA 30333 Tel: 404-639-4558 • Fax: 404-639-3333

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Welcomes • Peter Gerner-Smidt, MD, DMSc Laboratory with Ravi Pallipamu. Farewells has returned to CDC as Chief of the • Rachel Nieda, a Public Health • Rebekah Berry is a Clinical Epidemiology Investigations and PulseNet Microbiologist, joined the California • Grace Lin, who has been with Laboratory Scientist in the Microbiology USA Unit. We are very fortunate to have Department of Health’s PFGE section in California Department of Health’s department at the Oklahoma State Dr. Gerner-Smidt return to CDC and we the Enterics unit in February 2004. PFGE section in the Enterics unit Department of Health. Rebekah splits her look forward to working with him again. • NY State Lab welcomes Yvette since June 2003, has left to join time between Enterics and PFGE. • Indiana State Department of Khachadourian and Cathleen Fisher to the Mycobacteriology section. • Kara Cooper, Ph.D. is the newest Health welcomes microbiologists Keith their PFGE lab. • NY State Lab’s Felicia Gomez and member of the CDC PulseNet Methods Obye and Veronica Erwin to the • Wei Zhang, Ph.D. is an American Alicia (Ebeling) Bebout left the lab to Development and Validation Laboratory. PulseNet team. Keith works in the Society for Microbiology (ASM) fellow return to graduate school in August Kara comes to us from Creighton Hepatitis lab and Veronica works in the working in the CDC PulseNet Methods 2004. We wish them well in all their University in Omaha, NE, where she Food/Dairy Lab. Development and Validation future endeavors. worked on the development of sequence- • Lea Kelso joined the California Laboratory. He obtained his doctorate • Christine Steward has ended her based approaches to studying the molec- Department of Health’s PFGE section in degree in food microbiology from Penn role as QA/QC Contractor for ular epidemiology of methicillin-resistant February 2004. Lea is a recent gradu- State University. His dissertation work PulseNet. Chris made a significant Staphylococcus aureus. Kara’s experi- ate of Cal State University in Hayward, focused on the development of novel contribution to PulseNet in the two ence with PFGE, sequencing, and CA, with a B.S. in Biology. DNA sequence-based methods for the years that she has worked for APHL microarrays will play an important role in • Annette Malan, a Microbiologist molecular subtyping of Listeria monocy- — far exceeding expectations in the our efforts to improve existing protocols Principal, joined the Idaho Bureau togenes. Wei will be working on the amount of work she completed and in and assist in the development of novel of Laboratories. She recently com- evaluation and development of DNA the range of improvements she sug- ways to subtype foodborne bacterial pleted a week-long training in sequencing-based methods for subtyp- gested for the QA/QC program. pathogens. PFGE at the Washington State ing E. coli O157 and other STEC. Please join us in wishing all the best • Nancy Garrett joined the PulseNet to Chris with her future endeavors. team at CDC in September 2004. She graduated from North Georgia College and State University in May 2003, with HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO RECEIVE THE PULSENET NEWSLETTER?Currently, subscribers to the a B.S. in Biology. Nancy will be help- PulseNet quarterly newsletter receive a hard copy in the mail. The newsletter is also available electronically on the WebBoard and ing with the unique PFGE pattern project, on the PulseNet website (www.cdc.gov/pulsenet/news.htm). If you would like to stop receiving the hard-copy version and either routine PFGE, and general lab support for the CDC PulseNet Methods and receive the electronic version via e-mail or access it via the website or WebBoard, please send your request to the PFGE inbox at Validation Laboratory. [email protected] with the subject line: PulseNet Newsletter.

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