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HMC Workshop Focuses on Diagnosis and Treatment of Yeast Infection

Doha, 23 February 2011: Hamad Medical Corporation ( HMC ) recently hosted the First International Middle East Workshop, on Molecular Laboratory Diagnostics and Treatment of Clinically Important Yeasts at the HMC Education Center. The three-day scientific meet saw participation from over 75 experts from Qatar and abroad, which included key speakers from France, The Netherlands, Qatar and India. The focus for the workshop was clinical and molecular diagnostic updates of yeast infections.

Dr Mohamed El- Khalifa, Assistant Chairperson at HMC 's Department of Laboratory Medicine, inaugurated the workshop. Speaking on the significance of the symposium in controlling fungal infection among patients, Dr Saad Taj-Aldeen, Clinical Scientist at the Mycology Division and organizing secretary of the event said," People are aware of bacterial and viral infections, but fungal infections are also fatal especially for immunocompromized patients undergoing chemotherapy or organ transplant."

Dr Cornelia Florl from Austria gave an overview of global epidemiology of invasive candidiasis, a fungal infection that occurs when the yeast enters the bloodstream and then spreads throughout the body. Dr Arunaloke Chakrobarty from India enlightened the participants on how the yeast differs in the Asian subcontinent. Dr Muna Al Maslamani, Assistant Chairperson of the Department of Medicine at HMC , gave an in-depth lecture on the treatment of invasive candidiasis.

Dr Oliver Lortholary from France in his presentation talked about the cryptococcosis and its harmful effect in solid organ transplanted patients. According to Dr Oliver, cryptococcosis is the second most common infection after tuberculosis in AIDS patients. It is estimated that one million new cases of cryptococcosis fungi infection are diagnosed every year.

One of the key speakers at the symposium was Dr Teun Boekhout from CBS Fungal Biodiversity Centre, Utrecht, Netherlands, who gave a rare insight into some of the most common types of diseases caused by yeast infections, which include sepsis, meningitis, urogenital tract, and bloodstream infections.

The three-day symposium was structured into scientific sessions and practical workshops. Dr Anand Deshmukh, Specialist at the Mycology Division at HMC explained that the participants were able to gain hands-on experience at HMC laboratories, where they were exposed to the latest antifungal drug susceptibility testing. Bart Theelen and Ilse Breuker from The Netherlands conducted the practical sessions at the Microbiology Laboratory of HMC .

The scientific workshop was held on 16 - 18 February at Hajar Auditorium and was organized by the Microbiology Division of the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology at HMC under the leadership of Dr Ajayeb Al Nabit Al Mari, Acting Chairperson of the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology. It was well-supported by the Infectious Control Department at HMC led by Dr Muna Al Maslamani.

There was collaboration from CBS Fungal Biodiversity Centre (CBS KNAW), Utrecht, The Netherlands, and Department of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Canisius Wilhelmina Hospital, Nijmegen, The Netherlands. There was also active support from International Society for Animal and Human Mycology (ISHAM), and supported by European Confederation of Medical Mycology (ECMM).

-Ends-

About HMC :
Hamad Medical Corporation is the premier non-profit health care provider in Doha, Qatar. It was established by Emiri decree in 1979 and manages five highly specialized hospitals, namely, Hamad General Hospital, Rumailah Hospital, Women's Hospital, Al Amal Hospital and Al Khor Hospital. Since its establishment, HMC has rapidly developed medical facilities capable of providing state-of-the-art diagnosis and treatment of diseases that previously could only be managed in overseas medical centers.

HMC prides itself in providing quality and cost efficient health care for all patients regardless of nationality, in line with the State of Qatar's pledge of "Health for All". For this purpose, the Corporation implements a policy of continuous improvement of all management systems and patient care protocols. HMC 's ethos is based on three key pillars which are Health, Education and Research.

For more information please contact:
Marketing, Media and Public Relations Department
Hamad Medical Corporation
Tel. No.: +974 4439 5271
Fax No.: +974 4439 5002
www.hmc.org.qa

© Press Release 2011