Lab Matters Fall 2023 | Page 86

APHL 2023 POSTER ABSTRACTS

epidemiological partners . By participating in this pilot project , the fellow acquired real-time experience analyzing and responding to public health concerns , leading to an immediate impact on outbreak investigations and potentially informing future disease transmission modeling .

Presenter : Alexandria Lo , ali . lo @ state . co . us

Integration of Oklahoma Public Health Laboratory Testing into the Nebraska Public Health Laboratory

A . Bartling , A . Paulino , A . Roden , S . McGill , E . McCutchen , P . Iwen ; Nebraska Public Health Laboratory

Background : The challenge of moving the Oklahoma Public Health Laboratory ( OKPHL ) from Oklahoma City to Stillwater resulted in a decrease of qualified staff members to support biological testing that necessitated the need for interim outside support to meet the requirements of federal programs . This report describes the approaches used to integrate testing into the Nebraska Public Health Laboratory ( NPHL ) to meet the immediate needs for the OKPHL . Methods : A Memorandum-of-Understanding was generated with administrative personnel at OKPHL that described the processes for testing and billing for the PulseNet and LRN-B programs . To initiate testing at NPHL , new logs , accessioning files , and numbering schemes were created and implemented . Personnel at the Oklahoma laboratory were given access to NUlirt , the internal ordering and reporting software used at NPHL to place orders and view results . Additionally , an inventory was created to determine the need for supplies and laboratory space to meet the increased number of tests as well as rearranging testing to meet workload volumes for the staff . Finally , an after-hours pager was set up to provide support for biothreat and mpox testing . Results : There were 842 foodborne pathogen specimens collected between April 26 , 2022 and December 31 , 2022 submitted for culture . Of those , 690 isolates were available to NPHL for banking and whole genome sequencing . A total of 604 unique isolates were sequenced by Illumina DNA Prep on the MiSeq following PulseNet protocols . Additionally , 15 potential biothreat isolates along with 121 mpox specimens were submitted from the OKPHL for confirmation and diagnostic testing , respectively . During this time , NPHL also received 345 foodborne isolates for banking and sequencing , 22 potential biothreat isolates and 526 specimens to test for mpox from Nebraska hospitals and clinics . Moreover , the NPHL also verified a Sudan ebolavirus test at this time to provide regional testing for this pathogen to prepare for the potential of cases occurring in the US from the outbreak in Uganda . Conclusion : With a doubling for testing for PulseNet organisms , a 20 % increase in testing of biothreat agents , testing to meet the demands of the mpox epidemic , and the potential need to screen for the Sudan ebolavirus , the NPHL was able to successfully integrate the additional OKPHL workload into the current testing demands in the laboratory and still fulfill the needs for the testing of Nebraska samples . This study showed that the availability of mechanisms in place to meet the ordering and resulting processes along with a clearly defined MOU for testing and billing allowed the NPHL to meet the challenge of this additional testing . Finally , current staffing arranged work schedules to meet this increased testing demand to support a partner laboratory during a time of need . Future studies are important to define internal processes on how public health laboratories can support partner laboratories if the need arises .

Presenter : Arlene Paulino , arlene . paulino @ unmc . edu

Navigating Cross-sector Collaborations for Advanced Molecular Detection during the COVID-19 Pandemic : Applications , Challenges , Opportunities

M . Dorvil-Joanem , J . Narayana , J . Yackley ; Tennessee Department of Health

Genomic sequencing has been crucial to the COVID-19 public health response . The Tennessee Department of Health ( TDOH ) established a dedicated COVID-19 Genomic Surveillance Team in 2022 to review ongoing sequencing efforts , develop robust collaborative infrastructures for SARS-CoV-2 sequencing , and improve the detection of circulating SARS-CoV-2 viruses and emerging variants in Tennessee . TDOH utilized targeted outreach and dedicated funding to establish a network of internal and external sequencing partners . Partnerships were built through brainstorming , coordination , and recurring check-in meetings . Frequent discussions with partners ensured that appropriate logistical details for SARS- CoV-2 sample acquisition ( e . g ., storage , handling , transportation ) were in place . TDOH leveraged the expertise of bioinformaticians , epidemiologists , and public health lab scientists to rapidly develop high quality systems for capturing and sharing sequencing data . Initial challenges included sample acquisition and timely routing of specimens to sequencing facilities . Supply chain disruptions led to delays in securing necessary infrastructure for proper specimen collection and storage specific to advanced molecular detection ( e . g ., freezer , media ). TDOH established a passive genomic surveillance system through which all sequencing facilities processing Tennessee resident samples report identified variants of concern , variants of interest or variants being monitored , as defined by CDC . Additionally , TDOH actively works with sequencing partners , including one large healthcare system , one research laboratory and the State Public Health Laboratory to sequester samples for sequencing . TDOH has received sequencing data for 65,008 specimens , approximately 3.6 % of all confirmed SARS-CoV-2 cases ( 1,785,513 ) in Tennessee through December 2022 . Sequencing is also in progress for 15,000 samples from 2020 by a research laboratory to aid in historical understanding of variants . Next steps will aim to improve the representativeness of samples across Tennessee ’ s 95 counties . The COVID-19 Genomic Surveillance Team fostered multi-sector sequencing partnerships . These partnerships led to the creation and strengthening of sequencing infrastructures , the development of informatics processes for secured data exchange both pre and post sequencing analysis , and the optimization of surveillance systems that can be leveraged for future applications ( e . g ., wastewater , Mpox , influenza ). TDOH will work to strengthen and grow collaborations with regional , county , academic , and commercial partners to improve the depth and breadth of genomic surveillance in Tennessee .

Presenter : Magdalena Dorvil-Joanem , magdalena . dorvil-joanem @ tn . gov