Posts filed under 'Mycobacteriology/TB'
National Tuberculosis Curriculum Consortium
The National Tuberculosis Curriculum Consortium offers an extensive collection of educational materials, including computerized clinical cases, multimedia and question banks, clinical case description, and PowerPoint presentations. Registration is required but accounts are free of charge.
1 comment May 27, 2008
‘Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis: A Survival Guide for Clinicians, 2nd ed.’ from Francis J. Curry Center
From the website:
The Francis J. Curry National Tuberculosis Center is pleased to announce the availability of the fully updated second edition of Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis: A Survival Guide for Clinicians. First released in 2004, the Guide is a joint publication of CNTC and the Tuberculosis Control Branch of the California Department of Public Health. It contains information and user-friendly tools and templates for use by any clinician who participates in the management of patients with drug-resistant TB. This easy-to-use resource can be downloaded from our website and is available as a printed book and on CD-ROM.
Add comment April 18, 2008
World TB Day: “The Future of TB Laboratory Services” and more
“The Future of TB Laboratory Services” is a 44 page pdf report published in 2004 to present the conclusions of a task force commissioned by the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Also available from APHL: External Quality Assessment for AFB Smear Microscopy
Slide presentations from the Fourth National Conference on Laboratory Aspects of Tuberculosis (2002)
Add comment March 24, 2008
World TB Day – Monday, March 24, 2008
This coming Monday, March 24, is World TB Day.
Here is information from the World Health Organization (WHO):
World TB Day raises awareness about the global epidemic of tuberculosis (TB) and efforts to eliminate the disease. One-third of the world’s population is currently infected with TB. The Stop TB Partnership, a network of organizations and countries fighting TB, organizes the Day to highlight the scope of the disease and how to prevent and cure it.
The annual event on 24 March marks the day in 1882 when Dr Robert Koch detected the cause of tuberculosis, the TB bacillus. This was a first step towards diagnosing and curing tuberculosis. WHO is working to cut TB prevalence rates and deaths by half by 2015.
From the CDC: Trends in Tuberculosis — United States, 2007 (MMWR)
Add comment March 21, 2008
Web resources for TB and Molecular Diagnostics
TB
- Francis J. Curry National TB Center – offers free training resources, including some online courses with CEUs http://www.nationaltbcenter.edu/index.cfm
- CDC Div of TUBERCULOSIS ELIMINATION (DTBE) – CDC’s main site for TB control http://www.cdc.gov/tb/
*new* webinar on MDR/XDR-TB: http://www.cdc.gov/tb/CE/mdrandxdrtb/default.htm - Global Health Facts — a project of the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, with global statistics such as new TB cases, prevalence rates etc. http://www.globalhealthfacts.org/topic.jsp?i=12
- TB Education and Training Resources — a service of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Division of Tuberculosis Elimination (DTBE), includes a comprehensive links page http://www.findtbresources.org/scripts/index.cfm
- Southeastern National TB Center – offers free training resources, including webinars with CEUs http://sntc.medicine.ufl.edu/
Molecular training sites
PCR
1. Click here to read about PCR and view an animation: http://www.dnalc.org/ddnalc/resources/animations.html (Estimated time, approximately 20 minutes)
2. This animation illustrates the difference between conventional PCR and Real-time PCR: http://pathology2.jhu.edu/molec/techniques_main.cfm## (Estimated time, approximately 10 minutes)
3. Real time PCR tutorial. This includes information on quantity and quality control efficiency curves: http://pathmicro.med.sc.edu/pcr/realtime-home.htm (Estimated time, approximately 20 minutes)
Sequencing
4. Click here to read about Sanger and cycle sequencing and view an animation: http://www.dnalc.org/ddnalc/resources/animations.html (Estimated time, approximately 10 minutes)
5. This interactive simulation will take you through the steps of PCR and sequencing a PCR product to identify bacteria. Click on Virtual Labs in the menu bar at the top of the page; then choose the Bacterial Identification Lab. The virtual lab requires that you have the Shockwave plug-in installed in your browser. You can click on Get Shockwave to download the latest version. Click on the picture to enter the lab and follow the interactive simulation. http://www.hhmi.org/biointeractive/index.html (Estimated time, approximately 40 minutes)
VNTR Applications
6. Click on this site to read an article about discrimination of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex bacteria using novel VNTR-PCR targets: http://mic.sgmjournals.org/cgi/content/full/148/2/519?view=full&pmid=11832515 (Estimated time, approximately 10 minutes)
LUMINEX (LIQUID ARRAY)
7. Review this website to understand the Luminex process. Watch the short animation describing the basics, the instrument, and the benefits. You may also select applications from the menu bar at the top of the page to see a list of applications currently under development. http://www.luminexcorp.com/technology/index.html (Estimated time, approximately 5 minutes)
Verification of Infectious Disease Molecular Assays
8. Take this on-line self study course to learn more about the verification of infectious disease molecular assays. Click on “Enter Course” to begin. www.bttrain.org/molecular (Estimated time: approximately 45 minutes to complete)
9. View a lecture on introducing a New Molecular Assay Verification of Procedures in the Molecular Diagnostic Laboratory: http://wwwn.cdc.gov/nltn/pdf/2005/NLTN_031805.ppt#329,2,Difficulties with Verification of Molecular Assays (Estimated time, approximately 10 minutes)
Optional Materials
If you are new to molecular diagnostics, or you teach others who are new to molecular diagnostics, you may find these optional materials useful.
1. This is a comprehensive website on molecular genetics. If it has been a long time since your last genetics class, this will be a good review. The part of this website most applicable to the molecular diagnostics course is the section on the “Molecules of Genetics”. Click on Enter; scroll down on the right side of page to Molecules of Genetics, click on each of the links numbered 15-26 and read the Concept and then use the arrow to proceed through the Animation. http://www.dnalc.org/ddnalc/resources/ (Estimated time, approximately 40 minutes)
2. Persons not experienced with PCR will find these explanations useful. DNA primer – A good basic overview which also contains information on sequencing PCR products. Contains a glossary. Of special interest are the diagrams at the beginning of the glossary.
http://seqcore.brcf.med.umich.edu/doc/educ/dnapr/ (Estimated time, approximately 20 minutes)
3. This site includes a number of tutorials on molecular diagnostic techniques including PCR: http://www.appliedbiosystems.com/support/tutorials/ (Estimated time, approximately 15 minutes)
4. Here is some additional information on databases. Click on GenBank on the left hand side; click on “Entrez” at the top to access the database (scroll down to view the databases). Also return to the homepage, and click on “Education” to view teaching resources and online tutorials. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov (Estimated time, approximately 10 minutes)
5. Click on this site and scroll down for more information on “Genetic Analysis in the Laboratory”:http://genetics.nbii.gov/portal/server.pt (Estimated time, approximately 20 minutes)
6.This site provides a “PCR and Multiplex PCR” guide to troubleshooting, standards, and applications: http://info.med.yale.edu/genetics/ward/tavi/PCR.html (Estimated time, approximately 10 minutes)
7. Click on this site to access the Cambridge Healthtech Institute (CHI) glossary and taxonomy: http://www.genomicglossaries.com/content/sequencing_gloss.asp
Reference
8. Review this site for more information on microarrays: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/About/primer/microarrays.html (Estimated time, approximately 15 minutes)
9. Review more information on Nucleic Acid Research Group (NARG): http://www.abrf.org/index.cfm/group.show/NucleicAcids.32.htm (Estimated time, approximately 10 minutes)
10. Click on this site for a VNTR demonstration to try out a microsatellite repeats finder: http://biophp.org/minitools/microsatellite_repeats_finder/demo.php?PHPSESSID=0add18017be98afc0b72b487ddcc8530 (Estimated time, approximately 10 minutes)
Add comment February 1, 2008
Multidrug-resistant Tuberculosis – new online presentation
A new online presentation is available from the Francis J. Curry National Tuberculosis Center: “Multidrug-resistant Tuberculosis” by Dr. Gisela Schecter, MD, MPH.
Description from the website:
This 60-minute slide and audio presentation is designed for clinicians who diagnose and treat multidrug-resistant (MDR) tuberculosis. The course provides a thorough epidemiological and clinical overview of MDR-TB and extensively drug-resistant (XDR) TB, includes resource materials, and outlines MDR-TB consultation services that are currently available. Dr. Schecter is an internationally recognized MDR-TB expert. She is a consultant at the Francis J. Curry National TB Center and the California State Department of Public Health TB Control Branch.
Add comment December 21, 2007
TB Training resources
Search for mycobacteriology at NLTN Library:
Here are the results:
Some additional web resources:
- TB Education and Training Resources – a service of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Division of Tuberculosis Elimination (DTBE), includes a comprehensive links page
- Francis J. Curry National TB Center – offers free training resources, including some online courses with CEUs
Add comment October 2, 2007
NLTN TB Course on Point and on Time: Advanced Diagnostic Mycobacteriology
from APHL’s Lab Matters Summer 2007
national laboratory training network
TB Course on Point and on Time:
Advanced Diagnostic Mycobacteriology
By Linette Granen, MT(ASCP), CLDir(NCA), NLTN marketing manager and Karen Breckenridge, MBA, MT(ASCP), NLTN knowledge manager The first of three NLTN Public Health Series Courses offered this summer, “Advanced Diagnostic Mycobacteriology,” was held in Atlanta at the CDC Training Laboratory in June. Seventeen laboratorians attended the course from 15 state and two local public health laboratories. Faculty members from Emory University and CDC’s Mycobacteriology Branch, Division of TB Elimination and Division of Laboratory Systems contributed to both the lecture and laboratory sections. In addition, CDC staff and visiting scientists participated in many of the lectures and were available as resources for the participants.
Planning for Success: An APHL survey of members explored which areas of public health laboratory practice are most affected by workforce shortage and in which training is needed: an advanced-level, diagnostic mycobacteriology course emerged as one of the foremost training needs. The complex training program took 18 months to develop, during which time a training needs assessment was sent to TB personnel at the public health laboratories. Data gathered through this assessment were used to structure the course and select topics; a focus group of TB laboratory personnel further refined the course direction. The workshop planning committee was comprised of staff from NLTN, CDC, APHL and a public health laboratory.
Course Structure: The course objectives included • Evaluation of advanced procedures for isolation, identification and drug susceptibility testing of Mycobacterium spp;• Utilization and interpretation of molecular diagnostic techniques; Evaluation of algorithms for the identification of Mycobacterium spp; and • Discussion of potential problems and challenges in the introduction of new technologies into the mycobacteriology laboratory. The three-and-a-half day course addressed these objectives through didactic lectures and laboratory sessions on topics such as combining new and conventional mycobacteriology methods using a systems approach, domestic and international TB epidemiology, method validation, laboratory safety assessment, drug susceptibility testing, identification of mycobacteriology (including molecular methods), contamination and false-positive cultures, genotyping interpretation, nucleic acid amplification tests, workflow algorithms and quality assurance.
Timely Training: Coincidentally the program took place at a time when tuberculosis was a hot topic in the news. Newspaper articles about the current TB event were shared, and course participants related additional real-world case studies from their laboratories: lively discussion ensued. Each participant explained his/her laboratory workflow algorithm to receive comments from the experts and other course participants. The CDC staff also shared case studies through the lecture and laboratory sessions for the entire class to work through together. A tour of the CDC TB laboratory and interactions with its personnel were highlights of the course.
Success! By all indications, the course was a resounding success. The participants enjoyed the opportunity to network with their peers from all over the country, as well as to have access to the CDC TB experts. The evaluations were overwhelmingly positive. One participant commented: “This was a XVC—Extremely Valuable Course. By sharing and communicating all the course information, we can improve our TB programs. Thank you.”
By Linette Granen, MT(ASCP), CLDir(NCA), NLTN marketing manager and Karen Breckenridge, MBA, MT(ASCP), NLTN knowledge manager The first of three NLTN Public Health Series Courses offered this summer, “Advanced Diagnostic Mycobacteriology,” was held in Atlanta at the CDC Training Laboratory in June. Seventeen laboratorians attended the course from 15 state and two local public health laboratories. Faculty members from Emory University and CDC’s Mycobacteriology Branch, Division of TB Elimination and Division of Laboratory Systems contributed to both the lecture and laboratory sections. In addition, CDC staff and visiting scientists participated in many of the lectures and were available as resources for the participants.
Planning for Success: An APHL survey of members explored which areas of public health laboratory practice are most affected by workforce shortage and in which training is needed: an advanced-level, diagnostic mycobacteriology course emerged as one of the foremost training needs. The complex training program took 18 months to develop, during which time a training needs assessment was sent to TB personnel at the public health laboratories. Data gathered through this assessment were used to structure the course and select topics; a focus group of TB laboratory personnel further refined the course direction. The workshop planning committee was comprised of staff from NLTN, CDC, APHL and a public health laboratory.
Course Structure: The course objectives included • Evaluation of advanced procedures for isolation, identification and drug susceptibility testing of Mycobacterium spp;• Utilization and interpretation of molecular diagnostic techniques; Evaluation of algorithms for the identification of Mycobacterium spp; and • Discussion of potential problems and challenges in the introduction of new technologies into the mycobacteriology laboratory. The three-and-a-half day course addressed these objectives through didactic lectures and laboratory sessions on topics such as combining new and conventional mycobacteriology methods using a systems approach, domestic and international TB epidemiology, method validation, laboratory safety assessment, drug susceptibility testing, identification of mycobacteriology (including molecular methods), contamination and false-positive cultures, genotyping interpretation, nucleic acid amplification tests, workflow algorithms and quality assurance.
Timely Training: Coincidentally the program took place at a time when tuberculosis was a hot topic in the news. Newspaper articles about the current TB event were shared, and course participants related additional real-world case studies from their laboratories: lively discussion ensued. Each participant explained his/her laboratory workflow algorithm to receive comments from the experts and other course participants. The CDC staff also shared case studies through the lecture and laboratory sessions for the entire class to work through together. A tour of the CDC TB laboratory and interactions with its personnel were highlights of the course.
Success! By all indications, the course was a resounding success. The participants enjoyed the opportunity to network with their peers from all over the country, as well as to have access to the CDC TB experts. The evaluations were overwhelmingly positive. One participant commented: “This was a XVC—Extremely Valuable Course. By sharing and communicating all the course information, we can improve our TB programs. Thank you.”
Course Structure: The course objectives included • Evaluation of advanced procedures for isolation, identification and drug susceptibility testing of Mycobacterium spp;• Utilization and interpretation of molecular diagnostic techniques; Evaluation of algorithms for the identification of Mycobacterium spp; and • Discussion of potential problems and challenges in the introduction of new technologies into the mycobacteriology laboratory. The three-and-a-half day course addressed these objectives through didactic lectures and laboratory sessions on topics such as combining new and conventional mycobacteriology methods using a systems approach, domestic and international TB epidemiology, method validation, laboratory safety assessment, drug susceptibility testing, identification of mycobacteriology (including molecular methods), contamination and false-positive cultures, genotyping interpretation, nucleic acid amplification tests, workflow algorithms and quality assurance.
Timely Training: Coincidentally the program took place at a time when tuberculosis was a hot topic in the news. Newspaper articles about the current TB event were shared, and course participants related additional real-world case studies from their laboratories: lively discussion ensued. Each participant explained his/her laboratory workflow algorithm to receive comments from the experts and other course participants. The CDC staff also shared case studies through the lecture and laboratory sessions for the entire class to work through together. A tour of the CDC TB laboratory and interactions with its personnel were highlights of the course.
Success! By all indications, the course was a resounding success. The participants enjoyed the opportunity to network with their peers from all over the country, as well as to have access to the CDC TB experts. The evaluations were overwhelmingly positive. One participant commented: “This was a XVC—Extremely Valuable Course. By sharing and communicating all the course information, we can improve our TB programs. Thank you.”
Success! By all indications, the course was a resounding success. The participants enjoyed the opportunity to network with their peers from all over the country, as well as to have access to the CDC TB experts. The evaluations were overwhelmingly positive. One participant commented: “This was a XVC—Extremely Valuable Course. By sharing and communicating all the course information, we can improve our TB programs. Thank you.”
4 comments September 4, 2007
The National Laboratory Training Network is a training system sponsored by the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
