Parasitology Proficiency Testing Program

Past Workshops

May 7, 2009
Center for Medical Science, 150 New Scotland Avenue, Albany, NY.

The Parasitology Laboratory offered an intensive one-day hands-on workshop on the diagnosis of malaria and babesiosis infections. The course was designed for technologists who wished to improve their skills in differential diagnosis of these parasites, even on challenging specimens such as samples from drug-treated patients.Students learned about PCR-based assays for Plasmodium and Babesia and the latest information about emerging pathogens in this group.

Upon completion of the program, participants could:

• Explain how to detect and correctly differentiate among the four Plasmodium species that commonly infect humans, and also differentiate Plasmodium from the related human parasite Babesia.
  
  
• Describe the history, life cycle, diagnosis and treatment of malaria.
  
  
• Describe how to properly prepare thick and thin smears and perform Giemsa staining for visualization of parasites.
  
  
• Describe the resources offered by the New York State Parasitology Laboratory in the area of bloodborne pathogen diagnosis, and understand the rationale and process for reporting malaria and babesiosis to the NYSDOH laboratory.
  
  
• Discuss current research and future methodologies for the detection of malaria and babesiosis.