International laboratory workshop runs in Hong Kong

A four-day international training workshop on DNA fingerprinting of bacteria was officially opened at the Public Health Laboratory Centre (PHLC) of the Department of Health today (March 1).

Entitled "PulseNet Asia Pacific Workshop", the workshop was jointly organized by the PHLC, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Association of Public Health Laboratories of the United States, and the National Institute of Infectious Diseases of Japan. It aims to enhance the capacity of Asian countries in combating infectious diseases.

Experts from the PHLC, CDC, and the National Institute of Infectious Diseases of Japan would share their experiences with laboratory professionals from Beijing, Guangdong, South Korea, Thailand and Vietnam during the workshop.

Being held in Hong Kong for the second time, the workshop focuses on DNA fingerprinting of bacteria related to food-borne diseases including salmonellae, E.coli O 157, and listeria by using a standardized protocol developed by the CDC, according to Dr Kam Kai-man, Consultant Medical Microbiologist of the PHLC.

"It is hoped that standardardized laboratory results from different countries can be compared and used for tracking organisms with public health significance," he said.


Ends/Tuesday, March 1, 2005