MEMBERSHIP
The World is Their Oyster:
Humboldt County Public Health Laboratory
by Nancy Maddox, MPH, writer
The Humboldt County Public Health
Laboratory (Humboldt PHL) specializes
in something most local public health
laboratories don’t even test for—Vibrio
parahaemolyticus bacteria in oysters.
Indeed, the work of scientists at this
California laboratory, located about 300
miles north of San Francisco and just
a few blocks from Humboldt Bay, is
essential to maintain a steady supply of
bivalves for diners at local seafood joints
and trendy San Francisco oyster bars. In
fact, Humboldt Bay is so productive—
yielding up 70% of all oysters harvested
in the Golden State—that it has been
dubbed “the pearl of California’s shellfish
industry” and the state’s “oyster capital.” however, the county’s 2.3 million acres
of green space translate into an elevated
risk for rabies and tick-borne pathogens.
Laboratory scientists test for both, most
recently responding to a rabies outbreak
among foxes.
Jeremy Corrigan, MS, manager of
Humboldt PHL, said “One of our
biggest claims to fame is our oyster
testing and especially our molecular V.
parahaemolyticus testing.” He said, “We
do all the testing for the county’s oyster
growers and also test a lot of oysters sent
in from other counties. For our growers,
we test the oyster-growing waters for total
and fecal coliforms. And we’ll monitor in
response to regulatory needs or if there’s
a large rainfall that flushes a lot of runoff
into the water. The other thing we do is
test their holding tank water weekly to
make sure it’s clean.” Facility
In addition to shellfish, Humboldt County
is home to over 40% of the world’s
remaining old growth coast redwoods,
and its production forests yield 30% of the
total value of California’s forest products.
From the laboratory’s perspective,
On top of its extensive testing on behalf
of county residents and visitors, the
laboratory supports eight federally-
recognized Native American tribes.
“We pick up samples from the United
States Indian Health Services [mostly
for childhood blood lead and vaccine
preventable disease testing] and also do
rabies testing on sovereign land, upon
request,” said Corrigan.
Humboldt PHL takes up 1,600 square
feet on the top floor of the two-story,
Humboldt County Department of Health
& Human Services Public Health building
in downtown Eureka, the county seat.
Microbiology services spill over into
a stand-alone, 840-square-foot BSL-3
module, where all molecular, clinical
bacteriology and white powder work-ups
are done.
“What I really like about our location is
that downstairs are our communicable
disease team, our health officer and
epidemiologist, and our Public Health
Clinic and administrative staff,” said
Corrigan. “Being co-located makes it so
much easier to communicate and work
on cases.” Because the facility is just a
few blocks from the county’s 110-mile
coastline, laboratory staff hold meetings
at a nearby marina overlooking the water,
and often spend breaks strolling along
the shore.
Laboratory Manager
Corrigan grew up in “the coldest town in
Alaska”—the tiny hamlet of Tok where
winter temperatures reliably dip to
-70°F. “From Alaska,” he said, “I found
Humboldt.” He studied at both the College
of the Redwoods and Humboldt State
University (HSU), graduating with a BS in
molecular biology. “At that time,” Corrigan
said, “I was planning to be a physician,
and I went to South Africa as a volunteer
medical student in Cape Town.” In Africa,
he discovered that “I really like the
diseases that make people sick.”
Spurred by this revelation, he segued into
public health practice, taking a job as a
laboratory assistant in Humboldt PHL.
Around 2007, he went to work for the
Sonoma County Public Health Laboratory
(Sonoma PHL) to gain the experience
required for state licensure as a public
health microbiologist. After two years,
however, the Sonoma County job ended.
Corrigan returned to HSU to earn a MS
in biology. “When I was about halfway
done, a microbiology position opened
at Humboldt PHL,” he said. “So I started
working here, and I became the laboratory
manager in 2010.”
Corrigan is now in the first cohort of
students enrolled in the University of
South Florida DrPH program in clinical
and public health laboratory science
and practice.
Staff
In addition to Corrigan the laboratory
employs one microbiologist, plus
one senior laboratory assistant (“a
phenomenal asset to our laboratory”)
and six laboratory assistants. Michael
Ferris, full-time director of Sonoma PHL,
serves as Humboldt PHL’s part-time CLIA
director.
Additionally, Corrigan said, “We usually
take on a [microbiology] trainee every
year, because you have to train in a public
health laboratory to get your California
public health microbiologist license.
We have one trainee now and will take
another in January.”
Revenue
The laboratory’s proposed FY 2018-19
budget runs to $1.3 million, including
Annayal Yikum loads PCR plates. Photo: Humboldt PHL
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LAB MATTERS Fall 2018
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