Biomedical subjects
Virginia M Dato
Publications and source records attributed to Virginia M Dato.
Green onions: potential mechanism for hepatitis A contamination.
The largest documented foodborne hepatitis A outbreak in U.S. history occurred in November 2003. The source of that outbreak was green onions from a farm in Mexico. Two biomarkers were used to determine ways in which hepatitis A virus (HAV) can contaminate onions. Fluorescent microspheres (1.0 to 10 microm) and HAV vaccine were placed on the soil and the surfaces of pot-grown onions and in the liquid medium of hydroponically cultivated onions. Reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR) was used to identify HAV RNA. Microspheres were found on the outside and inside of the pot-grown onions for up to 60 days. RT-PCR revealed HAV RNA from the vaccine in well-washed green onions. In the hydroponically grown onions, microspheres were found throughout the onion after only 1 day. RT-PCR also revealed HAV RNA inside the hydroponically grown onions. Both biomarkers support the hypothesis that HAV can contaminate the inside of the growing onion and can be taken up intracellularly through the roots. Once inside, the particles are impossible to remove by cleaning.
Rabies vaccine baits, Pennsylvania.
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Technical description of RODS: a real-time public health surveillance system.
This report describes the design and implementation of the Real-time Outbreak and Disease Surveillance (RODS) system, a computer-based public health surveillance system for early detection of disease outbreaks. Hospitals send RODS data from clinical encounters over virtual private networks and leased lines using the Health Level 7 (HL7) message protocol. The data are sent in real time. RODS automatically classifies the registration chief complaint from the visit into one of seven syndrome categories using Bayesian classifiers. It stores the data in a relational database, aggregates the data for analysis using data warehousing techniques, applies univariate and multivariate statistical detection algorithms to the data, and alerts users of when the algorithms identify anomalous patterns in the syndrome counts. RODS also has a Web-based user interface that supports temporal and spatial analyses. RODS processes sales of over-the-counter health care products in a similar manner but receives such data in batch mode on a daily basis. RODS was used during the 2002 Winter Olympics and currently operates in two states-Pennsylvania and Utah. It has been and continues to be a resource for implementing, evaluating, and applying new methods of public health surveillance.
A capacity mapping approach to public health training resources.
The capacity mapping approach can be used to identify existing community resources. As part of this approach, inventories are used to provide information for a capacity map. The authors describe the development of two inventories and a capacity map for public health workforce development. For the first inventory, the authors contacted 754 institutions to determine available public health training resources; 191 institutions reported resources, including 126 directly providing distance learning technologies and courses or modules addressing important competency domains. Distance learning technologies included video conferencing facilities (61%) and satellite download facilities (50%). For the second inventory, the authors obtained information on 129 distance-accessible public health training modules. The workforce development capacity map produced from these two inventories revealed substantial resources available for use by individuals or agencies wishing to improve training in public health competencies.