Q Laboratories, Inc. Approved for Legionella Sampling and Testing

Posted by Mark Goins
On March 8, 2017
CDC

Q Laboratories is now an HC Information Resources Inc. (hcinfo.com) approved Legionella Sampling and Testing Service Provider. Q Laboratories, Inc. can design a legionella sampling plan for businesses implementing a building water management plan for legionella control, or evaluate existing plans with building managers. Q Laboratories, Inc. analysts are trained in collection and sampling of water for Legionella analysis, designing sampling programs, interpreting Legionella test results and advising on an appropriate response to test results. Q Laboratories is Certified as Proficient in the isolation of Legionella from potable and non-potable water samples by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Environmental Legionella Isolation Techniques Evaluation (ELITE) program.

An industry best practice for hospitals, nursing homes, hotels and other industrial and institutional facilities is establishing a water management plan to protect the employees and occupants from contracting Legionnaires disease or Pontiac fever. Choosing a qualified sampling and testing partner is the first step in designing an effective Legionella control plan.

Environmental Monitoring Design Utilizing the Zone Concept

Posted by Mark Goins
On February 21, 2017
fsma, Listeria, microbiology, RTE, Salmonella

With the implementation of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), as well as the recently released FDA Guidance on controlling Listeria monocytogenes in RTE foods, it is more important than ever to have a carefully designed, robust Environmental Monitoring (EM) program in your food manufacturing plant. Effective design of your EM program is essential to both minimizing the risk of contamination and meeting regulatory requirements. A common method for designing an EM program is the Zone Concept, whereby you divide your facility into four zones and determine the sampling and testing strategy for each zone individually. This strategy includes frequency of sampling, analytes, sample volume and significance of results.

Zone 1 includes areas that may come in direct contact with your products during manufacturing such as fillers, containers, racks and slicers. Zone 2 encompasses areas directly adjacent to Zone 1, which therefore present the risk of transferring contamination into Zone 1 and possibly direct contact with products. Zone 2 sites include external areas of packaging equipment, control panels, switches and refrigeration units. Zone 3 includes non-product contact sites adjacent to Zone 2, that are still within the protected area of the facility, including floors, walls, ceilings, floor mats, drains, brooms/mops/squeegees, phones, forklifts, drains and wheels. Areas outside the processing areas such as hallways, loading docks, locker rooms, and employee break areas constitute Zone 4. Foot traffic within the facility should be considered when determining the zones, and how they will be monitored.

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Q Laboratories, Inc. Now Offers 3-day Yeast and Mold Results

Posted by Mark Goins
On February 14, 2017
mold, yeast

Q Laboratories, Inc. is excited to offer our clients faster turn-around times for their Yeast and Mold testing. Utilizing the Biomerieux TEMPO® YM Assay, results that used to take five days can now be turned around in three. TEMPO® YM is an official AOAC Research Institute Performance Tested Method for numerous matrices including, cheese, yogurt, almonds, apple juice and various dry ingredients. If your product(s) have not been validated on the TEMPO® YM, Q Laboratories, Inc. can perform a brief validation study to demonstrate proficiency of the assay for your particular product type(s). The TEMPO® YM provides a total yeast and mold count and cannot differentiate between the yeast and mold individual counts. Call Q Laboratories, Inc. today to discover how this innovative technology can be utilized to get your products and raw materials tested and out the door quicker than ever before.

Q Laboratories, Inc. Gains International Recognition-Joins Elite Group of Expert Laboratories

Posted by Mark Goins
On January 30, 2017
AFNOR, AOAC, MicroVAL

Q Laboratories, Inc. (Cincinnati, Ohio) has been named an AFNOR Certified Expert Laboratory, thereby qualified to perform validation studies on instruments, test kits and materials for the food microbiology testing industry in France. Representatives of Q Laboratories, Inc. were in Paris, France the week of January 22nd to present before the Association Française de Normalisation (AFNOR) Technical Board. Based on the results of this presentation, they were granted Expert Lab status. By acquiring AFNOR Expert Laboratory NF 102 Validation status, Q Laboratories, Inc. is one of only two labs in the world, and the only lab in the Western Hemisphere, certified by all three major certification bodies, AOAC, MicroVAL and AFNOR, to perform these critical independent laboratory studies.

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Nontuberculous Mycobacteria (NTM) infections associated with heater-cooler devices

Posted by Mark Goins
On January 27, 2017
Mycobacteria, NTM

In the last few years, the FDA has focused on increasing awareness of Nontuberculous Mycobacteria (NTM) infections associated with heater-cooler devices and the subsequent risks to patients in health care facilities. The FDA reports that there were 32 reports of infections associated with heater-cooler devices or bacterial heater-cooler device contamination between 2010 and 2015, but 25 of those cases came in 2015, so the occurrence is steeply increasing. Image result for Nontuberculous Mycobacteria

Image result for Nontuberculous Mycobacteria

Heater-cooler devices include water tanks that provide temperature-controlled water to external heat exchangers or warming/cooling blankets. There is the potential for NTM bacteria to grow in a water tank in the heater-cooler units. Although the water in the heater-cooler unit does not come into direct contact with the patient, there is the potential for contaminated water to enter other parts of the device or transmit the NTM through the device’s vent(s) (or other small openings between the inside and outside of the water tanks) into the operating room environment. Water agitation inside the water tanks during heater-cooler operation may increase the potential for aerosolization of NTM bacteria. These devices are also notoriously difficult to clean and therefore are more likely harbor bacteria and the moist, warm conditions are optimum for rapid microbial replication.

The FDA recommends testing the water, air and environment associated with these devices or other water containing devices. Testing for NTM in water is a very specialized analysis and needs to be performed at a qualified laboratory.