Dataset Information

Ebola Preparedness: Diagnosis Improvement Using Rapid Approaches for Proficiency Testing.

ABSTRACT: The unprecedented 2015 Ebolavirus (EBOV) outbreak in West Africa was declared a public health emergency, making diagnosis and quality of testing a global issue. The accuracy of laboratory diagnostic capacity for EBOV was assessed in 2014 to 2016 using a proficiency testing (PT) strategy developed by the Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia Quality Assurance Programs (RCPAQAP) in Biosecurity. Following a literature search, EBOV-specific gene targets were ranked according to the frequency of their use in published methods. The most commonly used gene regions (nucleoprotein [NP], glycoprotein [GP], and RNA-dependent RNA polymerase [L]) were selected for the design of in vitro RNA transcripts to be included in the simulated EBOV specimens used for EBOV detection with PCR-based assays. Specimens were tested for stability and found to be stable on long-term storage (1 year) at -80°C and on shorter-term storage in lyophilized form (1 week at ambient temperature and a subsequent week at -80°C). These specimens were used in three EBOV PTs offered from April 2014 to March 2016. In the first and third PTs, all laboratories (3/3 and 9/9, respectively) correctly identified specimens containing EBOV RNA transcripts, while in the second PT, all but one laboratory (5/6) correctly confirmed the presence of EBOV. The EBOV PT panel was useful for ensuring the competency of laboratories in detecting EBOV in the absence of readily available clinical samples. The simulated EBOV specimen was safe, stable, and reliable and can be used in lyophilized form for future EBOV PT programs, allowing simplicity of transport.

SUBMITTER: Lau KA

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5328446 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Ebola Preparedness: Diagnosis Improvement Using Rapid Approaches for Proficiency Testing.

Lau Katherine A KA Theis Torsten T Gray Joanna J Rawlinson William D WD

Journal of clinical microbiology 20161214 3

The unprecedented 2015 Ebolavirus (EBOV) outbreak in West Africa was declared a public health emergency, making diagnosis and quality of testing a global issue. The accuracy of laboratory diagnostic capacity for EBOV was assessed in 2014 to 2016 using a proficiency testing (PT) strategy developed by the Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia Quality Assurance Programs (RCPAQAP) in Biosecurity. Following a literature search, EBOV-specific gene targets were ranked according to the frequency ...[more]

PMID: 27974537

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Project description:BackgroundThe 2014-2015 Ebola virus disease (Ebola) epidemic centered in West Africa highlighted recurring challenges in the United States regarding risk communication and preparedness during global epidemics.ObjectiveTo investigate perceptions, preparedness, and knowledge among U.S. internists with regard to Ebola risk.DesignCross-sectional Web-based national survey distributed by e-mail between December 2014 and January 2015.ParticipantsPracticing U.S. internists participating in a research panel representative of American College of Physicians (ACP) membership.Main measuresRespondents' perceptions of Ebola, reported sources of information, and reported management of possible Ebola cases. The primary predictor was the possibility of encountering Ebola (based on respondents' geographic proximity to designated airports or confirmed Ebola cases, or on their patients' travel histories). Pre-specified outcomes included reported management intensity in clinical vignettes involving patients at low risk of symptomatic Ebola as well as reported Ebola preparedness.Key resultsThe survey response rate was 46.1 %. Among the 202 respondents, 9.9 % (95 % CI 6.2-14.9 %) reported that they had recently evaluated a patient who had traveled to West Africa. Seventy percent (95 % CI 63.0-76.0 %) reported a practice-level protocol. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) was the most popular source for Ebola information (75.2 %, 95 % CI 68.7-81.0 %). Most respondents felt very (45.0 %) or somewhat prepared (52.0 %) to communicate information about or diagnose Ebola, especially those with the possibility of encountering Ebola and those who reported medical journals, professional groups, or government as information sources. One-fifth of respondents (19.8 %, 95 % CI 14.5-26.0 %) reported overly intensive management for low-risk patients. Those with the possibility of encountering Ebola were less likely to report overly intensive management (3.1 vs. 22.9 %, p = 0.011).ConclusionsInternists had wide-ranging views and understanding of Ebola risk; those least likely to encounter Ebola were most likely to be overly aggressive in managing patients at low risk. Our findings underscore the need for better risk communication through various information channels to empower frontline providers in infectious disease outbreaks.

Dataset Information

Ebola Preparedness: Diagnosis Improvement Using Rapid Approaches for Proficiency Testing.

Publications

Ebola Preparedness: Diagnosis Improvement Using Rapid Approaches for Proficiency Testing.

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