Part 1 - PulseNet International

STANDARD H.3
Equipment requiring calibration shall be calibrated according to the procedures recommended in
the respective manufacturer’s manual(s). If calibration instructions are not included in the
manual, the laboratory shall request written instructions directly from the manufacturer.
H.3.1
Written records documenting the frequency and date of calibration shall be
maintained for each instrument requiring calibration.
H.3.2
New instruments and equipment, or instruments and equipment that have undergone
repair or maintenance, shall be calibrated before being used in sample analysis.
H.3.3
Written records or logs shall be maintained for maintenance service performed on all
equipment.
I. CERTIFICATION
OBJECTIVE: To ensure that all persons submitting patterns to the National Databases have
been adequately trained on the PulseNet standardized protocol(s) for PFGE and/or Gel Analysis
and are producing good quality gels and analysis.
STANDARD I.1
All members of the CDC PulseNet laboratory (PulseNet Methods Development Laboratory)
shall attend CDC-sponsored training, Area Lab training, or customized training (by a
certified instructor) and must have successfully completed the certification testing for an
organism (in gel preparation, TIFF analysis or both), as described in the “Standard Operating
Procedure for Certification of PulseNet USA Personnel” (PNQ02).
I.1.1
This person shall be responsible for training additional staff in their respective
laboratory.
I.1.2
No person may submit patterns to any PulseNet USA national database without
having been TIFF-certified for that organism.
J. PROFICIENCY TESTING
OBJECTIVE: To participate in the ongoing proficiency testing program, coordinated by the
PulseNet USA Task Force and APHL, to ensure that CDC laboratories participating in PulseNet
USA maintain a satisfactory level of performance for PFGE or other molecular subtyping
methods and gel analysis.
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