INTRODUCTION:
Welcome to the
Department of Microbiology at AMCH. It is a Multidisciplinary unit consisting
of Bacteriology, Mycobacteriology, Virology, Parasitology,
Immunology, Serology, Mycology, Molecular biology and Infection Control &
Antimicrobial Stewardship practices.
The department has
progressed with time and presently has efficient Faculties assisted by a team
of Technical staffs and non-teaching staffs. The department offers excellent opportunities for research in infectious
diseases. Research articles are published every year in
national and international journals & our Department has published 15 research articles in the
period from 2011-2022.
Presently
facilities have been upgraded from teaching Microbiology for MBBS students to
MD Microbiology post graduates& B.SC MLT students. During the IInd MBBS
course the department integrates academics, diagnostics with high end research.
Young medicos are being encouraged in academics and research. Our institute is
equipped with high end Skill lab which provides a safe training environment for
Medicos & Non medicos.
The Microbiology
section of the central laboratory has diagnostic equipments which are of
current international standards and emphasizes on quality and rapid turnover
time like Automated blood culture system (BacT Alert) & Elisa flow station.
Recently the
department has geared and established state of art molecular laboratory which
has been accredited by NABL for testing of COVID-19 & HCV by real time PCR.
The lab has been
NABL accredited from 22’nd September 2020 as per ISO: 15189.
The NABL Certification number is MC-3708
AIM:
This
Post graduate course is a three year programme offered by M.G.R University. The
aim of this course is to train the students of Medicine in the field of
Clinical & Diagnostic Microbiology and infectious diseases, with specific
emphasis on patient management and infection control. We aim to give a
significant level of theoretical and practical skills in understanding all the
disciplines of Microbiology mentioned above, and competent enough to follow a
career in the diagnosis and study of infectious diseases. They will be trained
in basic research methodology so that they are able to conduct fundamental and
applied research. They will also be trained in teaching methods so that they
can take up teaching assignments.
GOAL:
The
course is a Competency based Medical education. The goal of the postgraduate
medical education shall be to produce a competent specialist and Medical
teacher, who shall recognize the health needs of the community and carry out
professional obligations ethically in keeping with the objectives of the
national health policy. The candidate shall have mastered most of the
competencies, pertaining to clinical diagnostic Microbiology that are required
to be practiced at the secondary and the tertiary levels of the healthcare
delivery system. They shall have acquired the basic skills of teaching Medical
and paramedical professionals. The knowledge shall be transferred to the post
graduates by educators through didactic lectures, integrated lectures, journal
clubs, Seminars and Practical sessions.
INFRA-STRUCTURE AT
COLLEGE:
1. Students Practical Lab: Can
accommodate 75 students at a time for a practical session. It’s well equipped with
excellent binocular Microscopes including dark ground microscope for the
staining sessions to understand the morphology of different pathogens.
2. Museum: The Dept
has a Museum filled with unique collection of Charts & Models which provide
an educational resource at student’s individual convenience.
3. Library: TheDept library has 164books and latest National & International
journals for undergraduates and post graduates. The Library is equipped with AV
aids
4. The Demonstration / seminar room has audio-visual
aids for presentation Sessions and can accommodate 90 students at a time
5. The Research laboratory: Has hitech instruments necessary for research
work.
6.
The department hosts an array of major laboratories as per MCI
norms which include; Immunology laboratory, Serology laboratory, Aerobic
bacteriology laboratory, Antimicrobial testing laboratory, Mycobacteriology
laboratory, Mycology laboratory, Parasitology laboratory, and Molecular biology
laboratory. This laboratory caters to the diagnostic services and
derives a constant source of research problems faced in the clinical medicine.
All the laboratories have expertise & infrastructure.
7.
Faculty Rooms: Large, well-ventilated separate rooms are
available for faculties & post graduates.
PUBLICATION
& RESEARCH PROJECTS:
The
Dept. has 15 Research article, three Review articles & two Case Reports
published in national and international Journals and Five on-going projects.
AWARDS AND ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE FACULTY:
|
Faculty Name
|
Award won
|
Name of the awarding agency
|
Date of award
|
National/State level
|
|
Dr.B.Usha
|
University first in M.D. Microbiology exam
|
Dr.M.G.R Medical University
|
April-1999
|
State level
|
|
Dr.B.Usha
|
MNAMS
|
National Academy of medical sciences
|
2016
|
National level
|
|
Dr.N.Shanmuga Vadivoo
|
Best Oral Presentation
|
Basic sciences conference at Vinayaka missions
kirubanandavariyar medical college
|
April-2010
|
National level
|
|
Dr.N.Shanmuga Vadivoo
|
Best performance Award Second National “
Hospital Infection Control Workshop”
|
Department of Microbiology - Jipmer Medical
college-Pondicherry
|
Jan-29’th 2018- Feb 2’nd-2018
|
National level
|
|
Dr.N.Shanmuga Vadivoo
|
Best poster presentation
|
VIN-HICON 2022 by Vinayaka missions kirubanandavariyar medical
college
|
September -2022
|
National level
|
AWARDS by STUDENTS:
Our students S.Vishambhar, U.M.Ramkrishna and Nikhil.S.Nair
participated in NRIC 2016 - Novel Research and innovation competition held
between August 16-18 in University Sains Malaysia and won Bronze medal for
their project "Hand Hygiene - Need of the hour" under the guidance of
Dr.B.Usha, Professor of Microbiology, & Dean Annapoorana Medical College
& Hospitals-Salem.
AVAILABLE FACILITIES:
I.
Central Microbiology Lab
Our central clinical microbiology
laboratory at AMCH offers expertise in all areas of conventional and molecular
medical microbiology. The labs offer a broad selection of tests to rapidly
identify and characterize causative agents of infectious diseases in great
depth.
Our central lab have implemented culture
techniques, immunoassays, antimicrobial susceptibility testing, and Molecular
methods to rapidly detect identify and characterize microbial pathogens as well
as provide guidance for their treatment.
Collectively the labs perform thousands of tests each year and
functions as 24x7 emergency laboratory services. The tests done at our lab in the
following areas
·
Bacteriology
·
Virology
·
Parasitology
·
Infectious
Diseases Serology
·
Hepatitis
and HIV
·
Mycology
and Mycobacteriology
·
Initial
Processing and Media Preparation Laboratories
.
II.
Molecular lab:
During this COVID-19 pandemic as per MCI
directive a state of art Biosafety level-2 Infectious disease laboratory was
started for testing COVID-19 infected patients
The infra-structure & design of the lab is as per WHO
recommendations where the work areas are physically separated as reagent
preparation room, RNA extraction room, PCR amplification room & Post PCR
room. The Equipments of the lab is as per NABL which includes Biosafety cabinets,
Quant studia-5, Molbio-Truenat, Thermo mixer, Refrigerated centrifuge, etc. We
have trained technicians and consultants as per the norms of NABL.
III.
Quality control
We are
enrolled with External Quality Assurance schemes (EQAS) in bacteriology;
serology & virology offered by Christian medical college (Vellore).This
maintains the standards of the laboratory in a National forum. We are also enrolled with King Institute of
Preventive Medicine for Inter Lab Quality Control (ILQC) for Molecular Biology.
We have a well-documented internal quality checks for efficient patient care
delivery.