Recent Update: May 10, 2007

SMRU Official laboratory opening ceremony

SMRU lab staff is happy to invite you to have a tour in the SMRU lab during the official opening on friday 27 of April 2007 read more...

Previous Update: February 14, 2007

Lab inaugural ceremony, launching test

SMRU lab staff is happy to celebrate the first test done in the SMRU lab on tuesday 15 of February 2007 read more...

Previous Update: January 10, 2007

SMRU microbiology laboratory

by Paul Turner
SMRU

The recently upgraded bacteriology and molecular virology laboratories will support the acute respiratory infection (ARI) surveillance activities of SMRU.
The bacteriology lab is a well-equipped BSL2 diagnostic laboratory, capable of processing a wide variety of clinical specimens (including blood culture, cerebrospinal fluid, pus, respiratory tract specimens, and urine). A blood culture and sputum specimen will be collected from individuals with pneumonia. Significant isolates will be identified, have antimicrobial sensitivities determined, and typed as appropriate. Additionally, nasopharyngeal swabs will obtained from patients with ARI to investigate the prevalence of carriage of respiratory pathogens, particularly Streptococcus pneumoniae. Antimicrobial sensitivities and serotypes of pneumococcal isolates will be determined.
The virology lab has facilities for testing clinical specimens using both conventional and real-time PCR assays. The primary diagnostic specimen collected from patients with ARI will be a nasopharyngeal aspirate, although throat swabs may also be obtained in selected cases. These specimens will be tested using the CDC Influenza A/B real-time RT-PCR assay. Samples found to contain Influenza A RNA will undergo further PCR testing to sub-type the virus on the basis of the haemagglutinin gene. Additionally, specimens from children under the age of five years will be tested using the CDC RSV real-time RT-PCR.