Key Objectives:
The increased use of culture-independent diagnostic tests (CIDTs) by clinical laboratories is transforming diagnostic practice for the detection of bacterial enteric diseases. Public health practitioners need to understand the impact of these changes on surveillance. To date, use of CIDTs has primarily impacted Campylobacter surveillance; however, the use of DNA-based syndrome panels is rapidly expanding this issue to other enteric pathogens. This round table will include representatives from CDC and state health departments who will engage in discussion of approaches to address the challenges posed by CIDTs.
Brief Summary:
CIDTs are increasingly being used in clinical care for the detection of gastrointestinal pathogens. The latest CIDTs tend to be based on methods such as DNA-based syndrome panels, rather than antigen-based tests. CIDTs do not yield isolates, but isolates are the basis of further characterization needed for public health action, including antimicrobial susceptibility testing, serotyping, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, and whole genome sequencing. The increased reliance on CIDTs is affecting clinical practice, case identification, outbreak detection, and our ability to monitor disease burden and trends. This roundtable discussion will provide an overview of the potential impacts of CIDTs on public health surveillance, including an update on surveillance for testing methods in FoodNet sites, where detailed data on CIDT uptake has been collected for several years. We will explore how national reporting can be enhanced to maintain public health ability to prevent and control bacterial enteric infections. Specific discussion points will include:
- Impact of CIDTs on public health surveillance of bacterial enteric infections in FoodNet sites, and how this might inform national surveillance
- Best practices for collecting information on CIDTs
- The need to further revise national case definitions