The Point-of-Care Laboratory in Clinical Microbiology

Abstract

International audiencePoint-of-care (POC) laboratories that deliver rapid diagnoses of ă infectious diseases were invented to balance the centralization of core ă laboratories. POC laboratories operate 24 h a day and 7 days a week to ă provide diagnoses within 2 h, largely based on immunochromatography and ă real-time PCR tests. In our experience, these tests are conveniently ă combined into syndrome-based kits that facilitate sampling, including ă self-sampling and test operations, as POC laboratories can be operated ă by trained operators who are not necessarily biologists. POC ă laboratories are a way of easily providing clinical microbiology testing ă for populations distant from laboratories in developing and developed ă countries and on ships. Modern Internet connections enable support from ă core laboratories. The cost-effectiveness of POC laboratories has been ă established for the rapid diagnosis of tuberculosis and sexually ă transmitted infections in both developed and developing countries

Implementation of Syndromic Surveillance Systems in Two Rural Villages in Senegal

“…Moreover, the two sites are regularly supplied with reagents necessary to perform the different POC tests, which is crucial for continuous detection and monitoring of pathogens [8,9]. Finally, they are equiped with Internet connexions, preventing disruptions in the weekly sending of microbiogical data.…”

“…Among the most innovative improvements made can be particularly mentioned Point-Of-Care (POC) laboratories (POC-L). They consist in on-site around the clock operating laboratories equipped to perform a wide variety of rapid diagnostic tests that are able to deliver rapid diagnosis [7,8]. Therefore, they can help to take adequate decisions for hospitalization, isolation and therapy in only few hours [7].…”

“…Therefore, they can help to take adequate decisions for hospitalization, isolation and therapy in only few hours [7]. Moreover, these laboratories do not require higly specialized skills and equipments, making them potentially cheaper and more cost-effective than conventional laboratories, but equally easier to implement in place with low resources [8]. …”

Cerebrospinal fluid lens-free microscopy: a new tool for the laboratory diagnosis of meningitis

“…Optical microscopy observation is an operator-dependant task, with both counting itself and the subsequent reporting being subject to variability; this may indeed result in the erroneous classification of the CSF specimen as meningitis/non-meningitis. Accordingly, optical microscopy cytological analysis of the CSF can hardly be incorporated into the point-of-care (POC) laboratory for the rapid diagnosis of meningitis78.…”

What Is New in Infectious Diseases?

“…In our commentary in this issue, Muhammad Ashraf and I describe the use of antibiotics in various settings [23], and we discuss the importance of reducing antimicrobial use in each setting. Point-of-care testing and use of biomarkers such as procalcitonin may help clinicians feel more comfortable in withholding antibiotics when patients have a low risk of bacterial infection [24]. Given the problems associated with antibiotic usediarrhea, hypersensitivity reactions, tendon rupture, and antimicrobial resistance-it behooves clinicians to think carefully before prescribing a drug that is not likely to help the patient.…”