Maine CDC's Health and Environmental Testing Laboratory (HETL) is
a member of PulseNet, a national laboratory network that connects foodborne illness
cases to detect outbreaks from people eating contaminated food. Since the
network began in 1996, PulseNet has improved food safety systems in Maine by
identifying outbreaks early and identifying the source of the contaminated
food. This network is changing the test methods used to identify outbreaks.
Through two U.S. CDC grants, the HETL has been able to upgrade its
equipment and protocols to allow for the lab to conduct this next-generation
DNA fingerprinting, known as ‘whole genome sequencing.’ This method
allows the HETL to increase surveillance of antibiotic and antiviral resistance
mechanisms, identify rare bacteria and viruses and increase foodborne illness
surveillance.
