The Microbiology Department is a division of Institute of the Laboratory Medicine in Kovai Medical Center and Hospital. The department provides a routine diagnostic service to hospitalized patients and the community. The department is at the forefront of infectious disease diagnosis, consultation and patient management. The laboratory is managed by qualified Microbiologists and provides diagnosis for almost 100,000 patient specimens each year. Our lab has the expertise to design customized testing, as needed, applying and adapting cutting-edge technologies to meet special needs.
The Department of Microbiology intents at providing accurate results on clinical material within the shortest possible time. This has been achieved by round the clock laboratory services, online reporting and use of state of the art equipment. Few of these systems have been introduced for the first time in clinical practice in the country. Blood Culture on BacT ALERT 3D automated systems for aerobic and anaerobic bacteria and fungi indicate positivity from 3 hours onwards. Identification and sensitivity of most of the organism grown could be reported in about 10- 16 hours, on an automated system, which helps greatly in institution of early specific antimicrobial therapy.
Routine culture for aerobic and anaerobic bacteria and fungi from clinical specimen is carried out on most appropriate media in controlled environment. Identification and sensitivity with MIC value of bacteria can be reported from 6-8 hours onwards, on VITEK2 compact automated systems, thus reducing the time of availability of report by almost a day. Further to this, the department is equipped with a system for automated reading and interpreting of antimicrobial disc susceptibility tests is built around data management software and an imaging device that measures the inhibition zone size around an antibiotic disc. ADAGIOTM (First of its kind in India) offers built-in expertise for the detection of the most frequent antibiotic resistance mechanisms, as well as detection of inconsistent results and technical errors.
Mycology Laboratory is amongst few centers in India which have been carrying out fungal identification and sensitivity testing of Candida, Cryptococcus and all species of yeasts.
Serology involves the diagnostic identification of antibodies in serum. Such antibodies are typically formed in response to an infection (against a given microorganism). Detecting specific antibodies against different infecting organism (bacteria, fungi, parasites and virus) are carried out both by conventional and ELISA system. Different types of ELISAs are performed in our department. Almost all conventional serological tests are available. Autoimmune disorders are worked up comprehensively with standard ELISA techniques. Moreover, the department is equipped with state of the art equipments like Bio-Rad EVOLIS a fully automated for walkaway operation and a self-contained microplate processor for automated, microplate-based EIA testing system, Mini-Vidas, a Single dose multi parametric, random access system based on ELFA technology and Quantiamate-Auto is an Automated Immunoturbidimetry and Clinical Chemistry Analyzer.
Quality control (Q.C.) and quality assurance (Q.A) are strictly implemented and authenticated by reproducible result from other accredited laboratories in India.
The department is actively involved in infection prevention and control activities of the Hospital. Epidemiology and surveillance of hospital associated infections and training of all categories of staff is an ongoing programme. From time to time guideline on different topics is issued which are complied periodically in the Hospital manuals.
