More than 150 participants attended the 8th National Conference on Laboratory Aspects of Tuberculosis which was held in San Diego, CA, August 19-21, 2013. Speakers addressed the utility of the latest developments in TB diagnostics including the use of pyrosequencing for the molecular detection of drug resistance; whole genome sequencing and MALDI-TOF. Other issues discussed covered building efficiencies in service utilization, assuring biosafety and global TB laboratory issues. The keynote addresses were given by Dr. Phillip Hopewell from San Francisco General Hospital and Dr. Madhukar Pai, McGill International TB Centre.

Poster Abstracts

Slide Presentations

The conference schedule is listed below; presentations with links have been authorized to be posted on this website. Duplication is not authorized without the express written permission of the authors. The author and “8th National Conference on Laboratory Aspects of Tuberculosis” must be cited once permission is received.

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Monday, August 19, 2013

Opening Session and Keynotes
Moderator: Edward P. Desmond, PhD, D (ABMM), California Department of Public Health

Welcome to the 8th National Conference on Laboratory Aspects of TB
- Edward P. Desmond, PhD, D (ABMM), California Department of Public Health

Welcome to San Diego
- Kathleen Moser, MD, MPH, San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency

Keynote Address - Twenty Years of Molecular Epidimiology of Tuberculosis in San Francisco: Muscogee County Revisited
- Philip C. Hopewell, MD, UCSF, San Francisco General Hospital

Keynote Address - Point-of-Care TB Testing: Opportunities and Challenges
- Madhukar Pai, MD, PhD, McGill International TB Centre

Delivering a New Vision
Moderator – Scott Becker, MS, Association of Public Health Laboratories

Status Report on PHLs: What’s Changed in the Last 5 Years
- Kelly Wroblewski, MPH, MT (ASCP), Association of Public Health Laboratories

The Shifting Role of the Clinical Laboratory
- Kathleen Beavis, MD, Stroger Hospital of Cook County

CDC’s Vision: TB Diagnostics Moving Forward
- Michael F. Iademarco, MD, MPH, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Shared Services: Developing Models of Efficiency
Moderator - Michael A. Pentella, PhD, D (ABMM), Bureau of Laboratory Sciences, Massachusetts Department of Public Health

Overview of the Project
- Michael A. Pentella, PhD, D (ABMM), Bureau of Laboratory Sciences, Massachusetts Department of Public Health

Colorado: The Perspective of a Big Network
- Emily Travanty, Laboratory Services Division, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment

Wisconsin: The Perspective of a User
- Julie Tans-Kersten, Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene

Iowa: Data Reporting
- Michael A. Pentella, PhD, D (ABMM), Bureau of Laboratory Sciences, Massachusetts Department of Public Health

Drug Susceptibility Testing: An Evolving Landscape
Moderator - John Bernardo, MD, Boston University School of Medicine

Review of TB Drug Susceptibility: Molecules, Media, Challenges, and Opportunities
- Edward P. Desmond, PhD, D (ABMM), California Department of Public Health

Harmonizing the Use of Both Molecular and Culture-based Testing
- Grace Lin, California Department of Public Health

Clinical Application of Quantitative Susceptibility Testing
- Scott Heysell, MD, University of Virginia

MICs in TB Susceptibility Testing: Challenges and Solutions for Implementation
- Marie-Claire Rowlinson, PhD, D (ABMM), Florida Bureau of Public Health Laboratories

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Latest Developments in TB
Moderator - Nicole M. Green, PhD, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, Public Health Laboratory

Applications Whole Genome Sequencing to Diagnosis of Drug Resistance in Tuberculosis
-Tony Catanzaro, MD, University of California at San Diego
-Faramarz Valafar, PhD, San Diego State University

Using MALDI-TOF to Differentiate MTBC
- Adam Barker, PhD, ARUP Laboratories, University of Utah

Understanding Tuberculosis: The Truth is Out There
- Philana Ling Lin, MD, MSc, Division of Infectious Diseases, Children’s Hospital of Pittsburg of UPMC University of Pittsburg

IGRAs: Update on Serial Testing and Predictive Value
- Madhukar Pai, MD, PhD, McGill International TB Centre

The Impact of Bedaquiline’s Approval on the Laboratory
- Beverly Metchock, DrPH, D (ABMM), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Performance Evaluation of Molecular Methods for TB
Moderator – Julie Tans-Kersten, MS, MT(ASCP), Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene

Performance Evaluation and Clinical Applications of NAAT in Orange County
- Minoo Ghajar, Orange County Public Health Laboratory

Evaluation of a Pyrosequencing Assay for Impact on Tuberculosis Patient Management
- Phil Lowenthal, MPH, California Department of Public Health

Is the Third a Charm? An Evaluation of the Number of NAATs Required to Detect TB in a Smear Negative Patient
- Mary DeMartino, MT (ASCP)SM, State Hygienic Laboratory, University of Iowa

TB Molecular Diagnostic Testing at Wadsworth Center-NYSDOH: Performance Evaluation and Potential Impact on Public Health
- Vincent Escuyer, PhD, Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health

Update on FDA Reclassification/Understanding the FDA Approval Process
- Steve Gitterman, MD, PhD, Food and Drug Administration

Practical Issues in the TB Laboratory
Moderator – Christopher Peter, PhD, San Diego County Public Health Laboratory (retired)

Reducing Redundant Specimens: Indiana’s Sputum Collection Algorithm
- Jessica Gentry, Indiana State Department of Health

Banking: Reporting of Cultures Based on a Previous Result
- Nancy N. Robinson, MPH, BS, M(ASCP), Bureau of Clinical Laboratories, Alabama Department of Public Health

When Unlinking AFB Smear from Culture Makes Sense
- Jennifer Flood, MD, MPH, California Department of Public Health

Building a Better Algorithm: Identifying NTM
- Max Salfinger, MD, FAAM, FIDSA, National Jewish Health

Nuts and Bolts and Biosafety in the TB Lab
- Michael A. Pentella, PhD, D (ABMM), Bureau of Laboratory Sciences, Massachusetts Department of Public Health

Lessons From TB Case Studies
Moderator - David Warshauer, PhD, Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene

Interesting Cases of TB Where Genomic Testing Helped
- Tony Catanzaro, MD, University of California at San Diego

A Study in Collaboration Between the Iowa TB Control Program and the State Hygienic Laboratory
- Mary DeMartino, MT (ASCP)SM, State Hygienic Laboratory, University of Iowa

XDR-TB: The Laboratory’s Dilemma Versus the Clinician’s Dilemma
- Kenneth Jost, Jr., Laboratory Services Section, Texas Department of State Health Services
- Barbara J. Seaworth, MD, FIDSA, FACP, Heartland National TB Center

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Highlighting the Work of our Labs: Spotlight on Select Posters
Moderator – Nicole Green, PhD, D(ABMM)k Los Angeles County Department of Public Health Laboratory

Use of Nucleic Acid Amplification Tests for Tuberculosis in California
- Lisa Pascopella, PhD, MPH, California Department of Public Health

Reduction of Time for Heat Fixation of Mycobacteria Smears
- Ryan Jepson, M(ASCP), State Hygienic Laboratory at the University of Iowa

Comparison Study of Utlizing a Reduced Inoculum in Performing Drug Susceptibility Testing of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Complex to Pyrazinamide Using the BACTEC™ 960 System at the Missouri State Tuberculosis Laboratory
- Roy Tu’ua, Missouri State Public Health Laboratory

Update on Non-clinical Criteria for NAAT
- Tracy Stiles, Massachusetts Department of Public Health

TB as a Global Disease
Moderator - Christopher Peter, PhD, San Diego County Public Health Laboratory (retired)

Preserving Effective TB Treatment Study (PETTS) Project
- Tracy Dalton, PhD, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

On The Border: A Bi-National TB Case
- Kathleen Moser, MD, MPH, San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency

Global Rollout of Cepheid GeneXpert MTB/RIF Assay
- David H. Persing, MD, PhD, Executive Vice President, Chief Medical and Technology Officer, Cepheid

 

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