Lab Matters Fall 2023 | Page 96

APHL 2023 POSTER ABSTRACTS

paper , faster reporting to all parties involved and a more seamless and friendly flow for all involved .

Presenter : Joseph Ochal , joseph . ochal @ doh . nj . gov

When and How a Public Health Laboratory Should Discontinue a Test

M . Pentella , State Hygienic Laboratory at the University of Iowa

All public health laboratories face the question of whether to keep or delete a test from their test menu from time to time . Changes in pathogen or biomarker detection technologies , trends in emerging disease , availability ( or unavailability ) and cost of certain reagents or supplies are only some of the drivers behind such decisions . Unlike private sector laboratories where the business considerations drive these decisions , public health laboratories face more complex dilemmas . Questions of test discontinuation are sometimes easily answered based on public health needs in the jurisdiction , but there are numerous other considerations to be accounted for including : disease prevalence , test availability from other sources , staff capacity , grant commitments , and legislative code requirements . Each jurisdiction is different , and the decision may differ by jurisdictional needs . To assist with the critical thinking that must accompany the decision , a workgroup was formed with representatives from Kentucky , Connecticut , Michigan , Delaware , New York , Iowa , and APHL to develop a tool kit and critical thinking guidance to assist laboratory management with these important decisions . The intent of the tool kit is to guide the user through the questions while presenting options to consider . Included in the document is an introductory narrative that discusses the different scenarios that might be faced by the laboratory in making the decision to delete a test from the test menu . This tool kit is intended to be a useful to make critical test deletion menu decisions and help to standardize the approach laboratory managers take to make these decisions .

Presenter : Michael Pentella , michael-pentella @ uiowa . edu

Year 1 and Year 2 Laboratory Flexible Funding Model ( LFFM ) Activities from the NYSAGM Food Laboratory

M . Ishida , A . Dickey , D . Oglesby , G . Deiulio , K . Durie ; New York State Department of Agriculture & Markets

The New York State Department of Agriculture ( NYSAGM ), Division of Food Laboratory was approved to conduct nine technical projects from the Microbiology ( Human and Animal Food ), Chemistry ( Human and Animal Food ), and Special Projects Tracks . This poster will provide a summary of the activities from different tracks . During Year 1 , the laboratory tested 504 Microbiology samples ( Human and Animal Food ) and 422 Chemistry samples ( Human and Animal Food ). In year 2 , the surveillance consisted of 384 Microbiology samples ( Human Food ) and 367 Chemistry samples ( Human Food ). Our participation in the Surveillance sampling tracks has increased the volume and diversity of the surveillance samples received by the laboratory . Additionally , communication with our State Regulatory Program ( SRP ) was improved due to the increased interaction necessary to accomplish LFFM special requirements . Operating a working laboratory during the COVID-19 pandemic proved challenging , especially considering the pandemic ’ s impact on the global supply chain . Supply shortages and expanded pet food testing led the laboratory to update our qPCR protocols . Initial issues caused a search for replacements , which improved our detection capabilities and the robustness of screening for Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella . Another adaptation experienced by the laboratory was the virtual external ISO 17025 assessment in 2021 . The laboratory also participated in a number of LFFM special projects . The Dead-End-Ultrafiltration ( DEUF ) project took much longer than expected due to COVID-19 pandemic-related delays impacting the delivery of reagents and instrumentation . The filter-based method allows for the testing of agricultural water , but the sampling and testing procedures ’ uniqueness made the laboratory pause the capability implementation . The SRP Produce Safety activities also influenced the laboratory ’ s hesitation to participate in the Year 3 capacity development . Participation in the Multi-laboratory validation projects has allowed staff to crosstrain in new methodologies and collaborative projects outside of regularly assigned tasks . The NYSAGM is engaged in using the LFFM activities to promote growth and improvements within our agency . The interaction with FDA also enabled open communication with NYSAGM ( laboratory and SRP ) on challenges not addressed routinely . We look forward to contributing to the identification of potential issues and providing recommendations for this multicomponent cooperative agreement .

Presenter : Alyssa Dickey , alyssa . dickey @ agriculture . ny . gov

SURVEILLANCE , OUTBREAKS AND EMERGING INFECTIONS

Antimicrobial Susceptibility Surveillance of Invasive Candida Species

A . Murthi , D . Edwards , S . Merid , J . Roberts , R . Blackwell and J . Hauser ; District of Columbia Department of Forensic Sciences , Public Health Laboratory Division

Invasive Candida infections have been increasing over the last two decades . These tend to affect blood , heart , brain , eyes and other parts of the body and are among the most common fungal infections in healthcare settings . Previously , Candida albicans was the major pathogen associated with candidiasis , but over the past few decades , many non-albicans species such as C . auris and C . glabrata have become more common . C . auris is of particular concern as , an emerging pathogen , it spreads rapidly , causes a wide spectrum of infections and , most alarmingly , it is rapidly becoming resistant to all the available antifungal agents . Thus , surveillance of fungal infections as well as the antibiotic sensitivity profile ( AST ) of these pathogens has become increasingly important . We report here a study of the AST profiles of > 100 clinical Candida isolates from patients within the Washington DC hospitals between the years 2019 and 2022 . All the isolates will be grown on agar plates , suspended in broth and subject to AST testing via the Sensititre system . We will use the YeastOne YO9AST plate with nine antifungals , including Amphotericicin B and Micafungin . Preliminary studies indicate that majority of the strains isolated from patients with fungal infections are either C . glabrata or C . auris , with the latter being more common over the last two years than in 2019 . Furthermore , strains of C . glabrata isolated over the four-year period show high resistance to fluconazole , micafungin and anidulafungin ( to date , Clinical Laboratory Standards Institute does not have performance standards for C . auris ). Through this study , we hope