The second PulseNet Africa training course was held on 13-17 May 2013 at the NCID, Johannesburg, South Africa. The course was sponsored by the CDC Global Disese Detection Program (GDD) and the WHO Global Foodbourne Infections Network (GFN). Trainers included the following staff from the Centre for Enteric Diseases (CED): Anthony Smith, Husna Ismail, Nomsa Tau, Alfred Mthanti and Kingdom Mncube.
Trainees included 11 persons made up of a representative from each of the following countries: Cameroon, Senegal, Kenya, The Gambia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Uganda, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, Zambia and South Africa (Onderstepoort Veterinary Research Institute). The PulseNet training course was held in parallel with a GFN training course aimed at participants from countries in Southern Africa; GFN training focused on laboratory investigation (isolation and phenotypic characterization of aetiological agents) and epidemiological investigation of foodborne and waterborne diseases. For PulseNet training, the following genotyping techniques were taught: pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) analysis of Salmonella and multiple-locus variable-number tandem-repeats analysis (MLVA) of Salmonella Typhimurium.
Besides the hands-on laboratory training, the following topics were also covered: how to interpret genotypic data; how to troubleshoot genotypic data; to describe the importance of using standardized methodology, which allows for inter-laboratory comparison of laboratory data, which facilitates international investigations; to describe the importance of quality assurance activities; to give examples of how genotyping is used for surveillance activities and how it is used to assist in outbreak investigations. For further information on future training courses, please contact Dr Anthony Smith.