IBMS Congress

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Tropical diseases – use of POCT

Worldwide Sporting Events

Medical Microbiology

Sarah J. Pitt  PhD, CSci, FIBMS

The repertoire of Point of Care Tests ( POCT) has expanded rapidly in recent years and now includes a range of assays for tropical infections.

These tests, which are quick to perform, easy to interpret and minimally invasive, would lend themselves well to use for testing competitors and visitors at the Olympic sites. This could be done to aid the diagnosis of acute illness in individuals and also for screening for chronic infections – thus aiding the public health effort and helping to prevent outbreaks of tropical infections. For example there are POCT assays available to test for Dengue fever, Leishmaniasis, Leprosy, West Nile fever, malaria and microfilariae.

These have been evaluated in endemic areas and have been shown to have acceptable sensitivities and specificities. Public health professionals need to prepare for the possibility of the import of unusual infections. If used appropriately, POCT tests could help to ensure that the London Olympic Games are remember for the quality of the sporting competition, rather than the range of infectious diseases discovered!