1. Laboratory Information Management System, LRN & Surveillance
Enhancing Seasonal Influenza Surveillance
Austin, Texas
Todd Lasco
Texas Department of State Health Services
Laboratory Services Section

2. LIMS - Current Status
Today - “Go-Live” Virology, Mycobacteriology and Consumer Microbiology Laboratory use at the Austin & South Texas Laboratories
Cohort >> LabWare LIMS
User roles via Citrix > those external to DSHS
1) Epidemiologist
2) Submitter

3. DSHS Lab Contact
Liz Delamater, Ph.D. Manager, Microbiological Sciences Branch Texas Department of State Health Services West 49th Street Austin, TX 78756
(office)

4. Laboratory Response Network
Established in response to Presidential Decision Directive 39
Founding partners: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL), and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
Operational in August 1999
PDD 39 issued in 1995 outlined national anti-terrorism policies; in addition, this directive provided the basis for improving the laboratory’s ability to detect and respond to acts of terrorism.

5. LRN Mission Provide infrastructure to increase laboratory capacity
Respond to biological and chemical threat agents and other public health emergencies
150+ state and local public health, federal, military, food testing, veterinary, environmental, and international laboratories

6. LRN Structure
Definitive characterization of the most deadly infectious agents
Confirmatory testing for most select agents
Rule-out testing and referral of specimens

7. Where We Started: 1999 6 Laboratories 1 Level C 5 Level B
1 Dedicated technician/lab
2 Real-time PCR machines
Austin & San Antonio

8. Texas LRN Locations Wichita Falls Lubbock Ft. Worth Dallas El Paso
San Antonio
Houston
Austin
Tyler
Dallas
Corpus Christi
Harlingen
Laredo
Ft. Worth
Wichita Falls
Lubbock

9. Texas LRN Laboratories
10 Confirmatory laboratories each w/ BSL-3 facilities
1 BSL-2 laboratory capable of confirming B. anthracis and Y. pestis only
Laredo 2009
Real-time PCR and Time-Resolved Fluorescence (TRF) platforms in each confirmatory laboratory (10)

10. Texas LRN Influenza Testing
Avian H5 primer/probe sets – LRN
Flu A, Flu B, H1, H3, H7 primer/probe sequences - APHL
Houston, Tarrant County & Dallas LRNs

11. Pilot
Establish greater connectivity between our sentinel labs and our regional LRNs
Insert our regional LRNs into the loop of testing/routing samples here to DSHS for viral isolation such that that particular LRN or LRNs can provide a quicker TAT and feedback to the submitter through PCR testing at their site
Test Labware LIMS functionalities

12. Texas LRN Contacts LRN Name Phone Number 24/7 Phone Number Austin
Rahsaan Drumgoole
Grace Kubin
David Klein
x3486
Corpus Christi
Donna Rosson
Sandra Heatherly
Dallas County
Joey Stringer
Edward Bannister
El Paso
VACANT
Fort Worth/
Tarrant County
Rebecca McMath
Harlingen/
South Texas
Kristina Zamora
Houston
Jane O’Brien
Lubbock
Kim Swacina
Michael Lipton
San Antonio
Patricia Blevins
Tyler/PHLET
Irene Krumins
Wichita Falls
Jo Harp

13. Texas Department of State Health Services
Contact Information
Todd Lasco
Texas Department of State Health Services
Laboratory Services Section MC 1947 P.O. Box Austin, TX Ph: (x3535) Fx:

14. Questions?