Gaining Wings to FLY: Using Drosophila Oogenesis as an Entry Point for Citizen Scientists in Laboratory Research.

Citizen science is a productive approach to include non-scientists in research efforts that impact particular issues or communities. In most cases, scientists at advanced career stages design high-quality, exciting projects that enable citizen contribution, a crowdsourcing process that drives discovery forward and engages communities. The challenges of having citizens design their own research with no or limited training and providing access to laboratory tools, reagents, and supplies have limited citizen science efforts. This leaves the incredible life experiences and immersion of citizens in communities that experience health disparities out of the research equation, thus hampering efforts to address community health needs with a full picture of the challenges that must be addressed. Here, we present a robust and reproducible approach that engages participants from Grade 5 through adult in research focused on defining how diet impacts disease signaling. We leverage the powerful genetics, cell biology, and biochemistry of Drosophila oogenesis to define how nutrients impact phenotypes associated with genetic mutants that are implicated in cancer and diabetes. Participants lead the project design and execution, flipping the top-down hierarchy of the prevailing scientific culture to co-create research projects and infuse the research with cultural and community relevance.

Evaluation of VIDAS Listeria monocytogenes Xpress (LMX) for the detection of Listeria monocytogenes in a variety of foods: First Action 2013.11.

The VIDAS Listeria monocytogenes Xpress (LMX) is an automated rapid screening enzyme immunoassay for the detection of Listeria monocytogenes in food products. The VIDAS LMX method was compared in a multi-laboratory collaborative study to AOAC Official Method 993.12 Listeria monocytogenes in Milk and Dairy Products reference method following current AOAC guidelines. A total of 14 laboratories participated, representing government and industry, throughout the United States. One matrix, queso fresco (soft Mexican cheese), was analyzed using two different test portion sizes, 25 and 125 g. Samples representing each portion size were artificially contaminated with L. monocytogenes at three levels: an uninoculated control level [0 colony forming units (CFU)/test portion], a low inoculum level (0.2-2 CFU/test portion), and a high inoculum level (2-5 CFU/test portion). For this evaluation, 1800 unpaired replicate test portions were analyzed by either the VIDAS LMX or AOAC 993.12. Each level was analyzed using the Probability of Detection (POD) statistical model. For the low-level inoculated test portions, difference in collaborator POD (dLPOD) values of 0.04, (-0.08, 0.15) and 0.01, (-0.10, 0.13), with 95% confidence intervals, were obtained, respectively, for 25 and 125 g test portions. The range of the confidence intervals for dLPOD values for both the 25 and 125 g test portions contain the point 0.0 indicating no statistically significant difference in the number of positive samples detected between the VIDAS LMX and the AOAC method. In addition to Oxford Agar (OXA), VIDAS LMX test portions were confirmed using Agar Listeria Ottavani and Agosti (ALOA), a proprietary chromogenic agar for the identification and differentiation of L. monocytogenes and Listeria species. No differences were observed between the two selective agars. The VIDAS LMX method, with the optional ALOA agar confirmation method, was adopted as Official First Action status for the detection of L. monocytogenes in a variety of foods.