Question NW1179 to the Minister of Health
07 May 2018 - NW1179
Kopane, Ms SP to ask the Minister of Health
(a) In which laboratories did the listeria isolation tests take place when conducting tests for listeriosis, (b) what tests were done on the samples, (c) how were samples taken, (d) who took the samples, (e) how many samples were taken, (f) what were the findings, (g) what testing protocols are used to test for listeriosis and (h) who is authorised to test for listeriosis?
Reply:
(a) In the 253 NHLS Laboratory Network and the Network of laboratories belonging to Ampath, Lancet, Pathcare, Vermaak and Vennote and Van Rensburg.
For food and Environment
NHLS Public Health Food laboratory at Charlotte Maxeke Academic Hospital and Food consulting services (a private laboratory)
(b) For clinical
Routine culture and polymerase chain reaction
For food and environment: Culture
(c) Clinical
Blood through normal Phlebotomy and Cerebrospinal fluid through lumbar puncture.
Amniotic fluid
Placenta
Environment: Food samples
(d) Clinical: Clinicians or Phlebotomists
Environment: Environmental Health Practitioners
(e) For clinical tests: 1 019 people.
From Enterprise Polokwane factory: 343 environmental samples were taken
From RCL Wolwehoek factory: 201 environmental samples were taken
(f) Findings were ST6 Listeria Monocytogene and non ST6 Listeria Monocytogenes as well as negative results in some samples;
(g) Clinical: Culture and Phenotypic identification
Food and Environment: Selective culture-based Ager detection and Phenotypic identification. All were followed by whole genome sequencing.
(h) Registered Medical Technologies in all clinical laboratories - public or private and all the food and environmental microbiology laboratories.
END.