The Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene Rabies laboratory was 1 of 14 pilot study sites worldwide for a new rabies test developed at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that could mean people exposed to potentially rabid animals could forego the weeks-long regimen of shots to prevent the deadly disease.

The new test, designed for use in animals, can more easily and precisely diagnose rabies infection, according to a study published in PLOS One. The new LN34 test is simpler and easier to use than current tests. During the pilot study, it produced no false negatives, fewer false positive, and fewer inconclusive results. It could allow doctors and patients to make better informed decisions about who needs treatment for rabies, which is nearly always fatal once symptoms start.

CDC news release about the study — https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2018/p0516-rapid-rabies-test.html

PLOS One journal article – http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0197074

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

The table below lists the hours of operations for our Clinical Specimen Receiving departments. We will have staffing to accept clinical specimens at both our 2601 Agriculture Drive and our 465 Henry Mall facilities on Saturday, May 26th.

Henry Mall Specimen Receiving will be open on Monday, May 28th, for Newborn Screening Specimens ONLY.

Agriculture Drive Specimen Receiving will be closed. Please see hours of operation below.

As always, if you have an off-hours emergency, please call the WSLH Emergency Pager at 608-263-3280.

 

Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene (WSLH) Microbiologist Alyssa Beck explains how the WSLH will begin using environmental DNA (eDNA) to determine the presence of Zebra Mussels and New Zealand Mudsnails in select Wisconsin bodies of water this summer. Both of these invasive aquatic organisms are of concern to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.

eDNA methods are less time and resource intensive than traditional field surveys and can be especially useful for screening for invasive or endangered organisms.

Webinar link (plays best in Internet Explorer): https://slhstream2.ad.slh.wisc.edu/Mediasite/Play/20efaea607274f93a03ef8cb4f8a4cdf1d

 

The WSLH’s state and regional influenza surveillance programs were in the news as WisContext produced a wrap-up story on this past flu season.

WisContext is a multimedia service of Wisconsin Public Radio, Wisconsin Public Television and the University of Wisconsin Cooperative Extension.

Story — https://www.wiscontext.org/flus-seasonal-curve-swelled-2017-18

The increase in drugged driving and the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene Forensic Toxicology Lab’s role in that testing were featured in a story by NBC 15 news in Madison.

In 2017, the WSLH tested more than 22,000 blood samples from suspected impaired drivers. All of those samples were tested for alcohol and a sub-set was tested for drugs.

According to WSLH Forensic Toxicology Director Amy Miles, from 2014 to 2017 the WSLH saw roughly a 17% increase in total sample submission and about a 46% increase in drug impaired cases.

Watch the story — http://www.nbc15.com/video?vid=481022021

2018 marks the 100^th anniversary of the 1918 influenza pandemic that caused the deaths of an estimated 675,000 Americans and tens of millions worldwide.

The latest issue of Lab Matters from the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) features an article recounting how far the public health system has come in being able to respond to influenza pandemics – and how far it still needs to go.

The article includes an interview with Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene (WSLH) Communicable Disease Division Director Pete Shult, PhD, and highlights the important work the WSLH performs as 1 of 3 National Influenza Reference Centers (NIRC).

As a NIRC, the WSLH provides influenza virus isolation, antiviral medication resistance, and whole genome sequencing testing services for 17 states, including Wisconsin.

Test result data is provided to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to speed influenza vaccine development and better understand what influenza viruses are circulating and how they may be changing.

Rotating Equipment Repair (RER), a Sussex, WI, company providing high quality repairs, parts, and field service to the high energy pump market, is featured as a “Small Business Success Story” by the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA).

The story highlights the collaboration between RER staffers and expert consultants from Wisconsin’s Onsite Safety and Health Consultation Program (WisCon) to improve RER’s safety and health culture, including achieving SHARP status in 2009. RER has maintained continuous SHARP status, with their most recent renewal in 2017.

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

Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene (WSLH) Forensic Toxicologist Ted Savage discusses the Dane County Oral Fluid Study.

Objectives of the study were to evaluate the utility of an oral fluid detection system as a tool for law enforcement, the prevalence of people driving under the influence of both alcohol and drugs, the differences between detecting drugs in oral fluid and in whole blood, and the effectiveness of the WSLH drug testing cancellation policy when blood alcohol concentrations (BAC) exceed 0.10 g/100 mL.

Webinar link (plays best in Internet Explorer) – https://slhstream2.ad.slh.wisc.edu/Mediasite/Play/e412bce0c521432c848267b59438688d1d

The critical role the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene’s Communicable Disease Division plays in state and national flu surveillance was featured in an article by WisContext.

WisContext is a collaborative news service of Wisconsin Public Radio, Wisconsin Public Television and University of Wisconsin Extension.

Wisconsin’s Place In The Backbone Of U.S. Flu Surveillance: How State And Local Labs Track Outbreaks Of An Ever-Changing Influenza Virus — https://www.wiscontext.org/wisconsins-place-backbone-us-flu-surveillance

According to estimates from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ (BLS) Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses (SOII), there were 82,700 total injuries and illnesses reported by Wisconsin employers in 2016, an increase from the 78,800 total injuries and illnesses reported for 2015. The rate of injury and illness rose from 3.6 in 2015 to 3.8 cases per 100 equivalent full-time workers. Nationally, the total recordable case rate declined from 3.3 to 3.2 cases per 100 full-time workers.

Background

SOII is the largest work injury data survey conducted nationwide. The Wisconsin BLS program collects data annually from a representative sample of 6,000 establishments, with a 97% survey response rate.

Summary Key Findings:*

• Private industry incident rate increased from 3.6 to 3.7. State and local government total incident rate decreased from 4.2 to 4.1. (See Chart 1)
• Manufacturing, professional and business services, and state and local government sectors show declines in rates from the prior year, while all other industries remained constant or showed increased rates. (See Chart 2)
• The number of cases increased across summary case types from 2015 to 2016 with the exception of job transfer or restriction cases: cases with days away, job transfer, or restriction (DART) increased from 39,600 to 41,800; cases with days away from work (DAFW) from 21,800 to 24,300; other recordable cases (ORC) from 39,200 to 40,800. Cases with job transfer or restriction (DJTR) only fell slightly from 17,800 to 17,500.
• Public sector sub-industries with the highest injury rates include: Local government Heavy and civil engineering construction (11.3), Local government Utilities (7.7), and Local government Transit and ground passenger transportation (6.9). (See Chart 3)
• Private sector sub-industries with the highest injury rates include: Leather and allied product manufacturing (11.8), Couriers and messengers (7.4), and Construction of buildings (7.0). (See Chart 3)

*For charts and tables of Wisconsin data, including case and demographic profiles, go to www.slh.wisc.edu/bls.