The WSLH Communicable Disease Division (CDD) hosted four visiting scientists from Bosnia and Herzegovina as part of an international influenza mentorship program to provide technical assistance to countries to strengthen laboratory management systems and capacity, and enhance Biosafety and Quality Assurance programs using a step-wise approach.

The program is also intended to foster technical partnerships for ongoing guidance toward World Health Organization (WHO) National Influenza Center (NIC) designation.

The international influenza training that we provided was in support of an Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL)/Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) project to strengthen laboratory capacity in certain countries that they identified as needing extra guidance and support.

The two labs from Bosnia and Herzegovina (Public Health Institute in Banja Luka and the University Clinical Center in Sarajevo) hope to achieve designation by the WHO as a National Influenza Center in the future.

CDD scientists provided hands-on bench training for cell culture and influenza virus isolation. In addition, we engaged other WSLH subject matter experts to discuss quality assurance, biosafety, management structure, inventory management and influenza real-time PCR.

The WSLH Chemical Emergency Response (CER) Unit participated in a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) exercise over the course of two weeks in late April and early May. The WSLH is one of only 10 Level 1 chemical emergency response labs in the country and serves a surge capacity lab for CDC.

The exercise scenario was the release of a toxin into a convention center.  In the scenario, more than 5,000 people were potentially exposed.

The WSLH initially received 40 samples to test for nitrogen mustards (a class of vesicant). The scenario called for 24 hour turnaround, and we finished within 8 hours of sample receipt. This particular testing came only to the WSLH as we were filling a gap for CDC.

The next week the WSLH received 500 samples to test for a metabolite of the nerve agent VX. Though we encountered some analytical problems, testing was completed in 42 hours.

The CER group performed exceptionally, particularly given the challenges of this particular exercise. About 2/3 of the samples were quantified for the VX metabolite.

Rotating Equipment Repair, Inc., (RER) provides repairs, parts and field service to the high-end energy pump market. Located in Sussex, Wis., RER received their fifth SHARP recertification from OSHA and the WSLH Onsite Safety and Health Consultation Program (WisCon).

RER first received SHARP status in 2009. Their current re-certification lasts until May 8, 2020.

SHARP stands for Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program and is a recognition program for companies who have excellent health and safety program management systems in place.

 

HPV has been around since people have been having people. A mummy with a large abdominal mass was found to be positive for HPV 16. We also know that HPV 16 has played an important role for the current standards of stem cells and cancer research because of the HeLa cell line and Henrietta Lacks. Because of all of this work, we also now have a cancer vaccine.

Cervical cancer screening is by far the most successful cancer screening test available. HPV is the virus that causes not only cervical cancer, but other urogenital cancers and head and neck cancers.

Cervical cancer has decreased in the US due to a screening program that first suggested annual screening, but has now changed to a variety of intervals based on age and clinical history. However, cervical cancer remains a leading cause of death for women in developing countries.

While cervical cancer may have declined in the US due to our screening guidelines, we are seeing an increase in HPV related cancers in men.

WSLH Cytology Manager and Cytotechnology Certificate Program Manager Michele Smith gave a brown bag talk on HPV. You can see it here (works best in Internet Explorer): https://slhstream2.ad.slh.wisc.edu/Mediasite/Play/7bcf6cb4069b47edae772bd6b8039bf11d

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The Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene (WSLH) Specimen Receiving Departments will be open for deliveries on Saturday, May 27, as usual.

In observance of the Memorial Day holiday, the WSLH will be closed on Monday, May 29. Please see hours of operation by location below.

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

 

 

Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene (WSLH) Forensic Toxicologist Lori Edwards gave a UW Wednesday Nite @ the Lab talk on April 19^th on the topic of “Heroin and Other Opioids: A Wisconsin Epidemic?”.

Her presentation covered the current issues and trends associated with heroin and other opioids in Wisconsin, including the history of the opium plant, manufacturing process, and the pharmacological effects of heroin and other opioids on the human body. In addition, case studies of individuals driving under the influence of heroin or other opioids were discussed.

Watch an archived webcast of her talk — http://www.biotech.wisc.edu/webcams?lecture=20170419_1900

 

WisContext Series on “The Opioid Epidemic in Wisconsin”

WisContext, an online multimedia news and information service of Wisconsin Public Radio, Wisconsin Public Television and UW Cooperative Extension, is running a series of stories on opioid use in Wisconsin.

Two of the stories feature interviews with WSLH Forensic Toxicology Director Amy Miles.

Opioid series website – http://www.wiscontext.org/opioid-epidemic-wisconsin

Stories featuring WSLH:

“New Synthetic Opioids Test Limits Of Wisconsin’s Drug Analysis” – http://www.wiscontext.org/new-synthetic-opioids-test-limits-wisconsins-drug-analysis

“To Identify Elusive Opioids, Labs Pursue More Sensitive Equipment” – http://www.wiscontext.org/identify-elusive-opioids-labs-pursue-more-sensitive-equipment

“Synthetic Opioids Have Public Health And Medical Investigators Playing Catch-Up” – https://www.wiscontext.org/synthetic-opioids-have-public-health-and-medical-investigators-playing-catch

“Wisconsin’s First Responders Take Steps To Avoid Opioid Exposure On The Job” – https://www.wiscontext.org/wisconsins-first-responders-take-steps-avoid-opioid-exposure-job

“The Toxicology Mysteries Posed By Synthetic Opioids” – https://www.wiscontext.org/toxicology-mysteries-posed-synthetic-opioids

“Occupational Risks To People Encountering Opioids On The Job” – https://www.wiscontext.org/occupational-risks-people-encountering-opioids-job

 

This story originally appeared in University of Wisconsin-Madison News

James Schauer, a faculty member with the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and director of the Water Science and Engineering Laboratory at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, has been named director of the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene.

“I am proud to have been part of the WSLH and UW–Madison for almost 20 years,” Schauer says. “I look forward to working with the WSLH staff, the Wisconsin DHS and DNR, local government units across Wisconsin, and other WSLH partners across UW–Madison and the state of Wisconsin to advance the public health and environmental protection mission of the laboratory.”

The lab was established at the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 1903. The director, who reports to the vice chancellor for medical affairs and dean of the School of Medicine and Public Health, serves as the executive officer of the laboratory and provides strategic and visionary leadership in analytical services, research, teaching and outreach, as well as policy issues impacting public and environmental health in Wisconsin.

“We are fortunate to have someone with his experience in the field as well as someone who is familiar with UW–Madison and its many partners,” says Chancellor Rebecca Blank. “Under his leadership, we will continue to strengthen those partnerships and advance the work as a state-of-the-art public health laboratory.”

The WSLH fosters partnerships with academic departments by performing vital human and environmental health research and providing education and training in the areas of clinical, environmental and occupational health and safety. Its mission is to improve and protect the human condition by providing accurate and precise testing, service, research and education.

A nine-member committee, co-chaired by Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Chair Andreas Friedl and Waisman Center Director Albee Messing, selected Schauer for the position.

“In Dr. Schauer, the committee selected an internationally known expert in air quality who has a broad understanding of public health,” Friedl says. “Dr. Schauer also has a strong record of leadership in academia and of consensus building between government and private partners.”

Schauer succeeds Charles Brokopp, who served as director from 2006 until his retirement in 2016. Peter Shult, director of the WSLH communicable disease division, served as interim director.

Schauer will begin as director June 1.

Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene (WSLH) Research Scientist Dr. Martin Shafer gave a UW Wednesday Nite @ the Lab talk on the topic of “Environmental Forensics: Adventures in Plasma Mass Spectrometry” featuring the WSLH Trace Elements Clean Lab.

Dr. Shafer discussed the theory and practice of plasma mass spectrometry through case studies in which WSLH scientists have applied this technology to address questions of environmental forensics in disciplines ranging from archaeology to glaciology to air-pollution source attribution.

Watch it here: https://www.biotech.wisc.edu/webcams?lecture=20170322_1900

 

Here are some items of note from Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene (WSLH) scientists from the past few months –

 

Newborn Screening Receives New Disorders Implementation Award

The WSLH Newborn Screening Laboratory received a New Disorders Implementation Award from the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL).

The award provides funding for the WSLH to become a Peer Network Resource Center and to develop next-generation sequencing 2nd tier testing to find underlying genetic causes for three disorders – Pompe, Mucopolysaccharidosis 1 (MPS-1) and X-linked Adrenoleukodystrophy (X-ALD).

As a Peer Network Resource Center, led by Dr. Mei Baker, the scientists at the Newborn Screening Laboratory and the UW Biotechnology Center will serve as content area experts and offer newborn screening, educational training, and/or technical assistance to other newborn screening programs. Wisconsin is one of only three state newborn screening programs to be funded as a Peer Network Resource Center.

Once validated, the 2nd tier next generation sequencing analysis that  the WSLH and UW Biotechnology Center are developing will be offered to states that have already implemented 1st tier newborn screening testing for these disorders.

APHL news release – http://www.marketwired.com/printer_friendly?id=2193375

 

Research Looks at Method to Extract Cryptosporidium from Soil to Aid in Drinking Water Analysis

The parasite Cryptosporidium was responsible for the largest documented waterborne disease outbreak in United States history when in 1993 in Milwaukee it caused illness in more than 400,000 people and the deaths of at least 69 people. When the pathogen is present in drinking water supplies, it is a serious threat to humans. But how does it get into the water?

Researchers suspect that one route is through soil. And while USEPA has published a method to analyze drinking water for Cryptosporidium (USEPA Method 1623.1), there is no comparable USEPA soil extraction method.

To overcome this barrier, scientists at the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene (Dr. Sharon Long and Jeremy Olstadt), the University of Wisconsin-Madison Department of Biological Systems Engineering, and UW-Madison Department of Soil Sciences (Dr. Long) developed and evaluated a Cryptosporidium soil extraction method capable of producing an extracted fluid containing the pathogen that could be purified and enumerated using USEPA Method 1623.1.

Their research is published in Agricultural and Environmental Letters – “Cryptosporidium Soil Extraction by Filtration/IMS/FA Compatible with USEPA Method 1623.1”

 

What’s Killing the Honey Bees?

For several years, scientists, farmers and beekeepers have raised alarms about the increasing loss of honey bee hives. Honey bees play a key role in food production for humans by pollinating flowering crop plants.

An article in PLOS One, recounts the discovery of one bacterium that may be playing a part in honey bee hive loss – Serratia marcescens Strain Sicaria (Ss1). WSLH Communicable Disease Division Deputy Director Dr. David Warshauer contributed to the research.

“Sepsis and Hemocyte Loss in Honey Bees (Apis mellifera) Infected with Serratia marcescens Strain Sicaria” (PLOS One)

Wisconsin Occupational Health Laboratory (WOHL) Advanced Microbiologist Terri Williams facilitated the development of a new ASTM International test method that will help laboratories identify mold from tape lift samples. Tape lift samples are sometimes used as part of occupational health and air quality investigations. The method was developed by ASTM International’s committee on air quality.

According to the ASTM International news release – “The new tape lift sample test method includes how to prepare a sample for observation under direct-light microscopy.  It also outlines the equipment needed and provides step-by-step instructions to perform the analysis. Finally, the standard states what a lab should report to its customer, at a minimum.”

Williams, a member of ASTM committee D22 Air Quality and the subcommittee D22.08 on Mold Sampling and Analysis, volunteered to be a technical contact for this method. Since ASTM International uses a voluntary consensus process, Williams facilitated discussions and recorded edits to the method in progress at each ASTM meeting she attended. The process can take many revisions over years.

“After each vote cycle, I would reach out to members who voted negative and discuss their views in addition to other comments recorded in the voting process,” Williams explains. “Any comments or discussion I had individually with the member, I would take back to the committee for edits in addition to those comments already on record and we would them incorporate if they were found persuasive. The cycle would perpetuate until there were no persuasive negative votes and all comments were addressed.”

ASTM International is a globally recognized leader in the development and delivery of voluntary consensus standards. Today, over 12,000 ASTM standards are used around the world to improve product quality, enhance health and safety, strengthen market access and trade, and build consumer confidence.