This episode features Dr. Jose Alexander, Director - Clinical Microbiologist for AdventHealth Central Florida. In this conversation, he expands on his focus on brain-eating amoebas & how he and his team were able to use protocols from COVID-19 to better the testing & treatment for those infected.
Summary
Dr. Jose Alexander Discusses Brain-Eating Amoebas and COVID-19 Protocols
Introduction
In this episode, Dr. Jose Alexander, Director - Clinical Microbiologist for AdventHealth Central Florida talks about his focus on brain-eating amoebas and how he and his team used protocols from COVID-19 to improve testing and treatment for those infected.
Focus on Brain-Eating Amoebas
Dr. Alexander is the medical director of the microbiology research area at Advent Health and has been involved in trials to find a clinical solution to diagnose primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (a brain-eating amoeba). Although the prevalence of this infection is minimal, there may be more cases that have gone unreported. If diagnosed quickly, patients have a chance of having a successful outcome. COVID-19 research played a role in helping develop a test to detect the amoeba quickly. Dr. Alexander also works on antimicrobial resistant projects to optimize therapy, rapidly identify microorganisms, and develop phase therapy programs for treating antimicrobial system infections.
Symptoms of Brain-Eating Amoebas
According to Dr. Jose Alexander, people in the Southeast states and some parts of the North are at risk for brain-eating amoeba infections. Symptoms start as meningitis such as fever, headache, neck stiffness, and vomiting. Clinicians should be aware that this infection is a part of the differential diagnosis if a patient has been exposed to untreated fresh water environments.
Ordering the Test
To order the test, contact the Advent Health Orlando laboratory or reach out to Dr. Alexander via email.
Note: This is an AI generated transcript, not edited by a staff writer and is solely intended for educational purposes. If you have any questions/concerns, reach out to podcasts@beckershealthcare.com
This episode aired on 10/14/2022 and can be listened here.
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