Legionella PCR testing has been discontinued. The PCR test is designed to detect Legionella spp. at the genus level. To best meet our program needs, we request that you submit a primary specimen for Legionella Culture or submit a Legionella isolate grown at your laboratory so we can also type the organism for epidemiologic purposes.

If you have questions, please call Dr. Allen Bateman at 608-224-4254.

WSLH Newborn Screening Laboratory Co-Director and UW Assistant Professor of Pediatrics Patrice Held, PhD, FACMGG, shares how the newborn screening program developed innovative online training modules that positively impacted the analytical testing process of the newborn screening program.

These learning opportunities for health care providers address timeliness and quality assurance concerns.

Watch the webinar

The Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene’s campus lab building was bustling with “students” on July 26th and 27th as 12 grandparent-grandkid pairs “majored” in genetics and newborn screening as part of the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Grandparents University (GPU).

GPU started at UW-Madison in 2001 and runs for two consecutive days for three consecutive weeks every July. Grandparents and grandkids choose from more than 20+ “majors”, earning a GPU “degree” at the end of their stay on campus.

WSLH Newborn Screening Laboratory Co-Director Dr. Patrice Held heard about GPU from a personal contact and got the ball rolling.

“I reached out to the organizers to learn details about GPU and whether our laboratory would be a good ‘major’ to consider for the program,” Patrice said. “They were very excited to have us participate! And I thought it would be a great opportunity for us as well.”

The Cytogenetics/Molecular Genetics and Newborn Screening Laboratories teamed up to create a “major” for Grandparents University. Because of the size of the group, grandparent-grandkid pairs were split into two groups, with one group visiting newborn screening and the other visiting genetics on Thursday afternoon and then switching for the Friday morning session.

According to WSLH Genetic Counselor Kimberly Anderson, “Our overall learning objectives were to: learn about how your inherited genes influence who you are and how your body functions; tour the cytogenetics and newborn screening departments at the State Laboratory of Hygiene and work hands-on with the chemists and cytogeneticists to learn how they use genetic information to help sick babies.”

Kimberly adds that for the genetics portion of the “major”, cytogenetics and molecular genetics staff walked the grandparents and grandkids through the steps of DNA extraction and gel electrophoresis. Students were able to extract (precipitate) their own DNA from their saliva and watch how different molecularly weighted colored solutions moved through an agarose gel. They also discussed how chromosomal imbalances can lead to genetic disorders, looked at human and mouse chromosomes under the microscope and learned the basic steps in chromosome identification and analysis.

For newborn screening, students had a mystery to solve – which disorder did their “baby” have?

WSLH Chemist Michelle Berry explains –

“In newborn screening (NBS) we created mock NBS reports with just numerical values. Our students’ job was to go into specific areas of the lab and learn about what diseases we screen for, how we screen for them, how the instrumentation works and what the treatment is for each disease we diagnose. We had:

• Cystic fibrosis mutation station where each grandparent-grandkid pair flipped the paternal coins to determine their own genetic mutation status
• Endocrine area where each pair developed their own biotinidase enzyme activity
• NBS specimen card receiving activity where each pair was able to number NBS cards and use the automated punchers to punch fake specimens for lab use
• Hemoglobinopathies area where pairs learned about gel electrophoresis and were able to read their own gels
• Mass Spectrometry area where pairs learned about phenylketonuria (PKU) and were able use automated pipettes
• SCID (Severe Combined Immune Deficiency) area where pairs were able to see an automated pipettor in action

At the conclusion, every participant shared which disease their pretend baby was identified with and were invited to try a PKU formula that is used for supplemental nutrition by people that are diagnosed with PKU.”

Patrice said the newborn screening portion was definitely a team effort.

“Almost everyone in newborn screening took part in the GPU,” she said. “The ‘students’ rotated through each of the different sections. A chemist in each section described the work to the students, but the other chemists had to work ‘extra’ hard to cover all the testing for the days.”

WSLH staff who participated found the event to be a fun experience.

And a few days later Patrice heard from one of the grandparents –

“We are so very happy that we were able to attend the Grandparent’s University Genetics major this year! It was one of our favorite majors. And this was our last year to attend GPU, so we had a great finale! Every staff member was exceptional; the material was extremely interesting and well-presented (loved the hands-on opportunities); and learning about the services you provide and the research you do was an extremely rewarding experience. Thanks to all of you!”

University of Wisconsin-Madison news story – https://news.wisc.edu/national-atmospheric-deposition-program-moves-to-hygiene-lab-at-uw-madison/

 

The Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene at the University of Wisconsin-Madison is the new Central Analytical Laboratory and Program Office for the National Atmospheric Deposition Program.

The NADP serves public and environmental health, science, education and agriculture by monitoring North America’s precipitation and atmosphere for a range of chemicals. It uses that data to determine trends in where pollution is concentrated and over what period of time.

“NADP is the international gold standard for long-term, high quality air pollutant monitoring and has been in operation for 40 years. The program aligns quite well with both the WSLH’s mission as well as the Wisconsin Idea,” says hygiene lab director and UW-Madison civil and environmental engineering Professor Jamie Schauer, the principal investigator for the national program.

NADP is a cooperative effort between many different groups, including federal, state and local governmental agencies, tribal governments, educational institutions, private companies and nongovernmental agencies that provide funding, scientific and technical support. Funding comes from monitoring site participants and the following primary federal agencies: the National Park Service, the U.S. Geological Survey, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Bureau of Land Management, the Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, and the Agricultural Research Service.

As the central analytical laboratory and program office, the WSLH provides pre-analytic services, analytic testing and post-analytic results and data analysis for samples from more than 300 monitoring sites across the country. Data is made publicly available on the NADP website (nadp.slh.wisc.edu) and through printed reports. The program office at the WSLH works with NADP committees on network operations, science, education and outreach activities.

“One of the exciting aspects of having NADP at the Wisconsin State Lab of Hygiene is the expanded opportunities we have to collaborate with other UW departments and campuses, as well as state and tribal agencies,” says Michael Olson, NADP program coordinator. “One of our first projects is working with staff at the UW Arboretum to establish an NADP monitoring site there, linking atmospheric chemistry to long-term ecological restoration.”

The NADP Central Analytical Laboratory and Program Office had been housed at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

“The WSLH is a lab with an outstanding reputation for excellence. We are pleased that the Program Office and Central Analytical Laboratory will be able to remain together in a single institution and are excited about the potential to build new connections within the University of Wisconsin,” says Tamara Blett, chair of the NADP Executive Committee.

Part of the University of Wisconsin-Madison since its founding in 1903, the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene provides public, environmental and occupational health laboratory and consultation expertise to a wide variety of national, state and local partners.

 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published a case study on Wisconsin’s use of partnerships to help build and sustain Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB)-related illness surveillance.

This case study is part of a CDC toolkit for public health professionals designed to encourage HAB surveillance and reporting to One Health Harmful Algal Bloom System (OHHABS).

 

More Information on Harmful Algal Blooms and Blue-Green Algae

CDC Case Study – https://www.cdc.gov/habs/pdf/hab-partnerships-WI-case-study.pdf

Wisconsin Department of Health Services — https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/water/bg-algae/index.htm

Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources — http://dnr.wi.gov/lakes/bluegreenalgae/

Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene – https://www.slh.wisc.edu/testing-for-cyanobacteria-and-blue-green-algae-toxins/ and https://www.slh.wisc.edu/environmental/toxicology/other-analyses/

Please note the following changes to the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene’s operations due to the observance of the July 4th Independence Day holiday.

In observance of the holiday, we will be closed on Wednesday, July 4th. We will NOT be receiving specimens on July 4th.

The WSLH Specimen Receiving Department will be open for deliveries as usual on Tuesday, July 3rd and Thursday, July 5th.

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

 

James Schauer, PhD, PE, MBA, director of the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene and Peterson-Radar-Hawnn Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at UW-Madison, has been named a 2018 U.S. Science Envoy by the U.S. Department of State.

U.S. Science Envoys engage internationally at the citizen and government levels to enhance relationships between other nations and the United States, develop partnerships, and improve collaboration. Science Envoys leverage their international leadership, influence, and expertise in priority countries to advance solutions to shared science and technology challenges. Science Envoys travel as private citizens and help inform the Department of State, a variety of U.S. government agencies, and the scientific community about opportunities for science and technology cooperation.

As a Science Envoy for Air Quality, Schauer will highlight American scientific strategies and technologies for mitigating poor air quality, with a focus on South Asia.

Since 2010, there have been 18 U.S. Science Envoys.

In addition to Schauer, the 2018 Science Envoys are:

• Science Envoy for Space – Charles Frank Bolden Jr., (Maj. Gen. USMC-Ret.), recently retired from service as the twelfth Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
• Science Envoy for Innovation – Robert S. Langer, SciD, FREng, one of 13 Institute Professors at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Science Envoy for Health Security – Michael Osterholm, PhD, MPH, Regents Professor, the McKnight Presidential Endowed Chair in Public Health at the University of Minnesota, and the director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP)
• Science Envoy for Health Security – Rebecca Richards-Kortum, PhD, the Malcolm Gillis University Professor, Professor of Bioengineering, Director of the Rice 360° Institute for Global Health and Founder of the Beyond Traditional Borders Undergraduate Global Health Program at Rice University

U.S. Department of State Media Note – https://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2018/06/283073.htm

As a Co-Principal Investigator, Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene Newborn Screening Laboratory Co-Director and University of Wisconsin Professor of Pediatrics Mei Baker, MD, and the Principal Investigator UW Pediatrics Associate Professor Christine Seroogy, MD, received a three-year, $120,000 Baldwin Wisconsin Idea Endowment Grant for their project, “Development and Implementation of Rapid Genetic Test to Improve Health Outcomes in Wisconsin Plain Newborns.”

Their project aims to develop and offer a new approach to early diagnosis of medically important genetic disorders in Amish and Old Order Mennonite – collectively referred to as Plain – children of Wisconsin through routine newborn screening along with development and implementation of a rapid and low-cost genetic test.

The objectives of this project are informed by the findings of the investigators’ community partnership collaboration with a rural family medicine doctor in the Driftless region of Wisconsin, Dr. James DeLine. In collaboration with the newly established Center for Special Children in LaFarge, WI, this project will engage Plain community members throughout Wisconsin to improve early diagnosis of genetic disorders now known to occur in Wisconsin.

Outcomes to be measured include assessment of health outcomes and family perceptions of genetic testing. Achieving the project goal will not only improve the health of this underserved population of children in Wisconsin but will be informative to newborn screening and genetic testing for all newborns.

The Baldwin Wisconsin Idea Endowment is a competitive grant program that fosters public engagement and the advancement of the Wisconsin Idea, the notion that the knowledge and solutions generated at UW-Madison will benefit the people of Wisconsin, the nation, and the world.

The grant program honors the legacy of Ira Baldwin and Ineva Reilly Baldwin and their deep commitment to the Wisconsin Idea.

University of Wisconsin-Madison news story – https://news.wisc.edu/eight-projects-win-baldwin-grants/

Wisconsin Public Radio story (7/17/18) – https://www.wpr.org/genetic-screening-be-tailored-amish-newborns-wisconsin

 

A new Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) podcast tells the horror stories that can happen to families everywhere when there are no public health labs.

The podcast is the second in a series produced by cohort 10 of the APHL Emerging Leader Program. The podcast stories focus on emerging infectious diseases, newborn screening, and foodborne illness and highlight the vulnerabilities we all would face if there were no public health labs like the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene (WSLH) working to keep our communities and populations safe.

After the fictional (thankfully) stories, the podcast continues with subject matter expert interviews explaining how public health labs would meet the challenges presented in each story.

WSLH WI Clinical Laboratory Network Coordinator and Co-Biosafety Officer Erin Bowles, a member of APHL Emerging Leader Program cohort 10, helped produce and narrated this episode. WSLH Communicable Disease Division Director Dr. Pete Shult was interviewed for the emerging infectious disease portion of the podcast, and Jim Hermanson, WSLH Office of Information Systems, provided expert assistance in recording and editing.

Listen here at http://www.aphlblog.org/2018/05/lab-culture-ep-11-no-public-health-labs/.

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