Course Outline
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- Introduction
- Naegleria fowleri
- Acanthamoeba Species
- Balamuthia mandrillaris
- Additional Suggested Reading
- Additional Suggested Reading
- References
Additional Information
Level of instruction: Basic
Intended Audience: Medical laboratory scientists, medical technologists, and technicians. This course is also appropriate for medical laboratory science students and pathology residents.
Author information: Garland E. Pendergraph, PhD, JD, MLS(ASCP)SM, HCLD/CC(ABB) is Laboratory Director & Director of Laboratory Operations, Quest Diagnostics-Valdosta RRL. Dr. Pendergraph is the laboratory director for Quest Diagnostics in Valdosta, GA and Miller County Hospital in Colquitt, GA. Dr. Pendergraph received his MSPH from the University of Kentucky in Lexington, his PhD in medical parasitology and mycology from the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill and his law degree with a concentration in health care law from Concord Law School, Kaplan University. He also did a Fellowship in Tropical Medicine at Louisiana State University School of Medicine. He is the author of a textbook in phlebotomy, a number of scientific articles, plus internet training programs. Dr. Pendergraph serves on the advisory committee for medical technology program at Thomas University. He is licensed as a laboratory director in the States of Georgia and Florida.
Co-auther information: Ms. Tamika Gosha is a medical laboratory technician at Quest Diagnositics, Inc./Solstas Lab Partners Valdosta laboratory. She is presently working on her master’s degree at Kaplan University.
Reviewer information: Judi Bennett MT, BSM is currently a Program Director for MediaLab, Inc. in Lawrenceville, GA. She has over 30 years of medical laboratory experience in an acute care hospital setting as a laboratory manager, senior clinical applications specialist, point-of-care coordinator, microbiology supervisor, and generalist technologist. Judi has been a speaker at various conferences and has been published in CLMA magazine.
Course information: Most protozoa are free-living and have little or no impact on human health. They are found throughout the environment, particularly in soil and water. However, there are four free-living amoeba that have been associated with serious human infections. This course seeks to identify these amoeba and discuss their life cycles, methods of infection, and the symptoms that occur, as well as determine preventive measures that may be available.