The Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene will be closed on Thursday, November 26, 2020 for the Thanksgiving holiday.

Our Specimen Receiving departments will observe the following hours of operation for the Thanksgiving holiday:

 

 

 

On Saturday, November 14th, from 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM we will be performing maintenance on the system that supports our archived webinars. Webinars will be unavailable during this time period. We apologize for any inconvenience.

WISC-TV interviewed Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene Senior Scientist Martin Shafer about the statewide SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19 virus) wastewater surveillance project.

Looking for COVID-19 virus in wastewater is being heralded as a potential way to identify emerging outbreaks in communities.

The surveillance study will provide for trend analysis and potential early detection of SARS-CoV-2 in communities across the state by monitoring viral RNA in influent streams at wastewater treatment facilities (WWTF). High frequency sampling will focus on the two largest WWTFs in each of the 21 most populace counties. Lower frequency sampling will take place at 80 additional WWTFs located in more rural WI.

 

In August, WSLH Forensic Toxicology Director Amy Miles was named a DRE Ambassador by the International Association of Chiefs of Police-Drug Recognition Experts Section.

The DRE Ambassador is awarded to an individual who, while never having been certified as a DRE, has made significant contributions to the DECP – Drug Evaluation and Classification (DEC) Program.

DRE’s – drug recognition experts – are law enforcement officers who undergo extensive training to recognize the varying signs of impairment that different drugs can cause in drivers.

Background reading – This March 2020 Wisconsin Examiner article provides more information on Wisconsin’s growing drugged driving issues and the role of DRE’s. https://wisconsinexaminer.com/2020/03/05/wisconsin-has-a-growing-problem-with-drugged-driving/

WisCon and the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene (WSLH) in conjunction with the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) and the State Emergency Operations Center (WEM/SEOC) will be hosting three webinars to orient stakeholders to OSHA respiratory protection requirements, fit testing, medical assessment, and respirator re-use as related to N95 respirators.

 

Webinar Information

 

Tuesday, August 25, 2020 – 9 to 10 AM CST

• WEBEX VIDEO LINK
  • Event Number: 120 469 0598
  • Event Password: COVID
• Join by Phone: 1-415-655-0001
  • Access Code: 120 496 0598
  • Password: 26843

Tuesday, August 25, 2020 – 2 to 3 PM CST

• WEBEX VIDEO LINK
  • Event Number: 120 569 1209
  • Event Password: COVID
• Join by Phone: 1-415-655-0001
  • Access Code: 120 569 1209
  • Password: 26843

Wednesday, August 26, 2020 – 6 to 7 PM CST

• WEBEX VIDEO LINK
  • Event Number: 120 214 4464
  • Event Password: COVID
• Join by Phone: 1-415-655-0001
  • Access Code: 120 214 4464
  • Password: 26843

**Please remember to MUTE your line

 

Agenda

• Intro to COVID (Dr. Dunkel, DHS)
• OSHA Respiratory Protection Program Requirements & Medical Assessment Overview (George Gruetzmacher, WSLH/WisCon)
• Fit Testing Overview (Robert Vercellino, WSLH/WisCon)
• Respirator Re-Use in Supply Crisis (Kevin Wernet, WEM/SEOC)
• Q & A Including all Panelists, joined by:
  • OSHA Compliance Assistance Specialists
  • WI Department of Safety & Professional Services

Please note the following changes to the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene’s operations due to the observance of the Labor Day holiday.

The table below lists the hours of operations for our Clinical Specimen Receiving departments.

As always, if there is an emergency, please call the WSLH Emergency Answering Service at 608-263-3280.

 

 

The Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene (WSLH) is pleased to announce that Errin Rider, Ph.D., D(ABMM), M(ASCP)^CM, has accepted the position of WSLH Associate Director of Clinical Testing. She will begin her new position on Sept. 1st.

Dr. Rider comes to the WSLH from the Riverside County Public Health Laboratory in California where she serves as Laboratory Director. Prior to that she served as Assistant Laboratory Director of the Louisiana Office of Public Health Laboratories from 2013-2018.

Dr. Rider earned a Bachelors in Science in Biology from San Diego State University followed by earning a Ph.D. in Virology from Harvard University. Following graduation, she was awarded a post-doctoral fellowship at the California Department of Public Health where she trained as a Lab Aspire Fellow in Clinical and Public Health Microbiology. She is a diplomat of the American Board of Medical Microbiology (ABMM) and also has national certification in Clinical Microbiology.

The Associate Director of Clinical Testing is a new position for the WSLH. Dr. Rider will serve as the College of American Pathologists (CAP/CLIA) Laboratory Director for the WSLH and will provide administrative leadership to all clinical testing at the WSLH, which includes Biochemical Genetics, Chemical Emergency Response, Communicable Diseases, Cytology, Cytogenetics, Molecular Genetics, and Newborn Screening. This position will also be responsible for facilitating and overseeing, in collaboration with Division Technical Directors; lab wide quality assurance, safety (including biosafety), and other compliance processes at the WSLH, and serve as the primary WSLH administrative liaison to the Wisconsin Department of Human Services (DHS) and WSLH clinical and healthcare partners.

Legionellae are common contaminates of artificial water systems, including air-conditioning systems, cooling towers, and jacuzzis where conditions may be optimal for growth and proliferation. Once aerosolized, the bacteria can enter the human respiratory tract and cause disease manifesting as Legionnaires’ disease, a severe form of pneumonia, or Pontiac fever, a self-limiting flu-like illness. Symptoms include fever, chills, muscle aches, headaches, cough, nausea and diarrhea. Onset occurs between 2 and 10 days after exposure.

Health Departments reported nearly 10,000 cases of Legionnaires’ disease in the US in 2018. However, because Legionnaires’ disease is likely underdiagnosed, this number may underestimate the true incidence. About one in 10 people who gets sick from Legionnaires’ disease will die.

Many labs use rapid urine antigen tests for L. pneumophila. However, this test is intended for the detection of serogroup 1(sg1) and may miss a diagnosis of Legionnaires’ disease caused by other serogroups or other Legionella spp. The new WSLH assay allows simultaneous detection and differentiation of Legionella spp., Legionella pneumophila, and Legionella pneumophila sg1 from clinical specimens. The assay targets the ssrA (Legionella species) gene, the mip (L. pneumophila) gene, and the recently identified wzm gene, specific for L. pneumophila sg1. This protocol was adapted from a CDC protocol. It has been validated for use at the WSLH. It has not been cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

More Information

Announcement Memo

Reference Manual listing

On July 2, 2020, Dr. Al Bateman, assistant director in the WSLH Communicable Disease Division, gave a SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 Lab Update focusing on where we have been, where we are and where things might be heading. His talk included in-depth information on testing methodologies and the potential of whole-genome sequencing to help us know even more about the virus and its spread.

Watch it here: https://slhstream2.ad.slh.wisc.edu/Mediasite/Play/62927ee443d643a5aa0869e250a2e32b1d

 

At an online ceremony on June 26th, Noel Stanton received the Gold Standard Award for Laboratory Excellence from the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL).

This award is given to an APHL member that makes or has made significant contributions to the technical advancement of public health laboratory science and/or practice.

APHL lauded Stanton’s national reputation and leadership in blood lead testing and chemical emergency preparedness and response.

In 2019, Stanton served in a leadership role for CDC’s Laboratory Response Network for Chemical Threats (LRN-C). As coordinator of one of 10 Level 1 labs nationally, Stanton has provided key leadership at the biannual technical meetings, serving as the chair of the PT workgroup charged with assisting CDC program managers in resolving laboratory issues. His leadership skills are always evident, including his uncanny ability to articulate complex issues in a very diplomatic yet clear and decisive way. Continuing with his long-time association with the blood lead PT, Stanton oversees the LRN-C PT for blood metals (including lead), which serves the entire LRN-C Level 1 and 2 lab network. He has developed collaborative partnerships with a variety of Federal, State and local public health partners.

WSLH Emeritus Medical Director Dr. Stanley Inhorn received the Gold Standard Award for Laboratory Excellence Award in 2009, so Stanton is following in esteemed footsteps.

Awards ceremony short recap video – https://www.aphlblog.org/aphl-celebrates-2020-award-winners/

Full awards ceremony video – https://www.facebook.com/PublicHealthLabs/videos/591673228147072