Facillity Head: Dr. Dilruba Ahmed, MBBS, MSc, PhD

Clinical Microbiology and Immunology Laboratory has the capacity to diagnose infection from clinical sample using modernised culture and automated serological platform. In the microbiology section, samples from stool and swabs are processed by conventional method. In addition, body fluids like blood, CSF are processed in BacTAlert 3D FAN method. This advanced technique enables detection of pathogen from patient sample even with a history of antibiotic intake. In the era of antibiotic resistance the laboratory has developed and added the capacity for expedition of identification and antimicrobial testing susceptibility method using VITEK 2 technique. The advancement of this system has expedited the identification and antibiotic susceptibility testing of pathogen and allowed to deliver the patient report within 24 to 48 hours instead of 72 to 96 hours. Other immunological screenings include viral markers, infectious disease markers, tumor markers, autoimmune disease markers, food and inhalation allergy test, which the facility assists to identify 76 allergy panels. Along with patient services, the laboratory provides quality research support and collaborates with both the institutional and external researchers. Quality control of the lab activities is continued by participation in external quality control through the College of American Pathology including internal and inter-lab quality control.