The health department postponed the speculation that the diagnosis of amoebic meningoencephalitis in the State in the state is in disproportionate delay, as the samples are sent to the public health laboratory.
On Wednesday on Wednesday, the medical department said that the Microbiology Laboratory at the Kozhikode Medical College Hospital had a branch measuring sampling facility and to make a presumed diagnosis that it was a trophozoite that causes encephalitis and treatment as soon as this happens.
The samples are sent to the state of public health only for confirming diagnosis and for identifying the types of amoeba responsible for infection and in no way mention the start of treatment, he said.
However, when testing for the presence of amoeba in water samples, there must often be repeated tests and culture tests, which could take time.
Only 5 laboratories in the country
Only five laboratories in the country have devices for molecular diagnosis (PCR) amoebic encephalitis, and most of these laboratories have only devices to identify three types of amoeba that cause infections in humans.
Since June, the State Laboratory for Public Health has molecular diagnostic facilities to identify five common types of free baches that are toxic to humans and can cause amoebic meningoencephalitis. Thus, the state no longer depends on diagnostic facilities outside the state, such as PGI Chandigarh, for confirming the diagnosis of amoebic meningoencephalitis.
Only 6 pathogenic
Although there are more than 400 free living amoeba species in the environment, only six have been documented for humans. State pH Lab is the only laboratory that has the ability to identify five of these toxic organisms – Naegleria fowleri, acanthamoeba spp. The state has already begun steps to develop molecular diagnostic devices for amoebic encephalitis in the Kozhikode laboratory, the statement said.
After the amoebic cases of meningoencephalitis began to report quite regularly, the medical department issued a directive that all samples of acute encephalitis syndrome will also be tested on amoebic encephalitis. That was why more cases of amoebic encephalitis were diagnosed and treated in the state, which significantly reduces the mortality rate of the disease.
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Published – August 20, 2025 20:41 is
