Lab Matters Summer 2016 | Page 37

member spotlight

Laboratory Technicians Carey Johnson and Rachel Zygmontowicz perform analysis of bees using LC-MS / MS Laboratory Technician Erik Luvass working at the ICP

Vibrio parahaemolyticus; shellfish growing water for fecal coliforms; and riskier food products for Salmonella, Listeria and other pathogenic microbes.“ The food could be salsa, hummus or a locally-made salad,” said Wickman.“ We’ re not looking at produce from the field, unless there’ s been a problem.” If the laboratory detects pathogens in a food item, it sends the culture to the state public health laboratory for PFGE analysis. Said Wickman,“ We don’ t want to duplicate efforts.”

External laboratory clients are limited. But the Laboratory Services Program was the first US laboratory to do testing for foreign governments— including South Korea and Japan— to assure that unregulated US food exports, such as nutraceuticals, are safe to import. It also supports state and county public health programs, as needed.

We call ourselves the regulatory lab,” said Wickman

Success Stories

Among the laboratory’ s many successful investigations are two high-profile efforts that took place over the past couple of years.

• Initiation of a monthly testing program to monitor levels of domoic acid in shellfish at six sites along the Oregon coastline. The program was prompted by a particularly severe harmful algal bloom that stretched along the entire US West Coast in 2015, producing unprecedented levels of domoic acid, a potent algal neurotoxin that accumulates in seafood as it moves up the food chain. In particular, the bloom threatened Oregon’ s lucrative Dungeness crab fishery, which produced 8.2 million pounds of crabs in the 2014-2015 season with an estimated total harvest value of $ 33.8 million. The Laboratory Services Program tests for the acid in crab viscera( also called“ mustard”) where it becomes concentrated and has begun developing a history of domoic acid levels so it can more readily detect upticks.

• Testing bees for neonicotinoid insecticides— notably, dinotefuran and imidacloprid— during a series of massive bee die-offs in Oregon in 2014. Laboratory data helped officials trace the source of the toxicants to ornamental linden trees that had been sprayed with the chemicals in violation of labeling laws. The ODA suspended the license of at least one tree care company and required the firm to cover tainted trees with shade cloth to keep bees away. And, in February 2015, the ODA restricted the use of dinotefuran- and imidacloprid-containing pesticides.

Challenges

• Being proactive to meet clients’ needs.“ We’ re the lab for other ODA programs. As their requirements change, we experience the downstream impact, which makes it hard for us to be proactive since we don’ t always get advance notice of changes. Being proactive also requires resources.”

• Equipment and facility maintenance and upgrades. Periodic state funding for equipment is appreciated but often insufficient.“ Maintenance is never-ending. And technology changes. I would like a stable replacement mechanism.” Similarly, HVAC and other parts of the 15-year old laboratory infrastructure are beginning to experience problems.“ After a while, everything starts getting old.”

• Keeping staff current.“ If [ staff members ] work every day just to process samples, there’ s not a lot of time for continuing education. That’ s a challenge.”

• Determining the impact of Oregon Measure 91, which legalized the nonmedical cultivation and use of marijuana within the state beginning July 1, 2015.( Medical marijuana has been legal in Oregon since 1998.)

Goals

• To attain ISO 17025:2005 accreditation. The laboratory is well into the process of securing accreditation for sample pH and water activity measurement( indicators of a sample’ s ability to sustain microbial growth) and for detection of priority pathogens, including Salmonella, Listeria, E. coli O157: H7 and Staphylococcus.

• To“ stay relevant,” in terms of testing technology.

• To“ improve on meeting our clients changing needs.” Said Wickman,“ There is always room for improvement.”

Laboratory Technician Sheri Roe checks the temperature of freezer Laboratory Technicians Tasha Johnson and Rafia Razzaque process pathogen tests