With the most recent incorporation of rapid dengue and leptospirosis tests at the Octavio de la Concepción de la Pedraja Pediatric Hospital, in October 2023, there are six presumptive diagnoses for different diseases that can be performed in the Microbiology laboratory of this hospital institution.
According to Isel Cálviz Domingo, head of this department in the Holguin pediatrics colossus, they have begun to receive resources that facilitate a quick presumptive diagnosis—between 15 minutes and 48 hours—that allows the doctor to take a group of behaviors or rule out some. epistemological entities.
“We have the test for Toxoplasma, Chlamydia, Mycoplasma, Covid-19, Dengue and Leptospirosis. In this case, the Chlamydia and Mycoplasma tests have helped us a lot with the Child and Adolescent Gynecology Consultation, where these types of diseases are studied. In the case of Dengue and Leptospira tests, they are used in patients who present complications or in serious cases, to rule out other types of infections.”
Cálviz Domingo added that in cases of dengue that show warning signs, they use the test to confirm the diagnosis and differentiate it from other diseases that could be urinary tract or leptospirosis.
Microbiology Laboratory, Pediatric Hospital, Holguín Although rapid tests, as stated above, do not offer a confirmatory diagnosis, their availability and use contributes to the adoption of behaviors by the different specialties, to then carry out other studies that require more time for definitive confirmation.
In that sense, the also first-degree specialist in Microbiology clarified that “all these tests are subsequently confirmed with confirmatory studies, as in the case of dengue, we have the Monoserum, carried out in the province itself, but sometimes it takes a while. plus the result.” She pointed out that having these rapid tests allows health professionals to have a different view of the state of the patient.
Referring to the Toxoplasma test, it is a study that before having it, the diagnosis of this disease, which is generally acquired by consuming food contaminated with feces from infected cats or by handling soil contaminated with the parasite, was not carried out in the pediatric hospital.
The samples were taken to the Provincial Center for Hygiene, Epidemiology and Microbiology (CPHEM) for a confirmatory diagnosis. This test, according to Cálviz Domingo, in patients with visual disorders helps to rule out this infection, which can sometimes be transmitted due to keeping pets in the home, or by handling cats or raising pigeons. So it allows the diagnosis to be expanded a little and guides the doctor who is directly caring for the patient.
The incorporation of these rapid tests, which were not available years ago, is the result of the political will of the Cuban State and the Ministry of Public Health (MINSAP), a purpose that has allowed their availability throughout 2023 in the Holguín pediatric hospital.
Its implementation occurs after coordination and indication of specialties such as Immunology, Gynecology and Obstetrics and therapy services.
For the Pediatric Hospital of Holguín, having rapid tests for microbiological diagnosis is of vital importance because it makes it possible to quickly identify the presence of pathogens in clinical samples, which is crucial for the initiation of a specific treatment, where the use is even optimized. of antibiotics and reduces the risk of bacterial resistance.
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