SERVICE OF EPIDEMIOLOGY AND LABORATORY FOR TROPICAL DISEASES
The Service of Epidemiology and Laboratory for Tropical diseases cooperates very closely with the Centre for Tropical Medicine of the same Hospital. Our Service performs laboratory tests for the Tropical Centre and for all the Departments of the Hospital, as well as for out-patients who are referred from general practitioners (prescription of the family doctor is required). In addition, the Service of Epidemiology and Laboratory for Tropical diseases offers a free telephone assistance for all practitioners: our specialists indicate the appropriate exams to perform and give explanation about the results. Since many years, the Service has been organizing intensive training courses for people who intend to operate in Developing Countries as well as for italian sanitary personnel who wish to improve the knowledge in parasitology.
Our laboratory of tropical diseases performs microscopic identification of tropical and non tropical parasites as well as indirect (serological) and direct (antigenic) up-to-date diagnostic tests for specific infections. Most tests are commercially available; in some cases, laboratory-made tests are used (for example for the detection of anti-Strongyloides antibodies).
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