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. 2024 Aug 2;62(8):myae082.
doi: 10.1093/mmy/myae082.

Mycology laboratory diagnostic capacity for invasive fungal diseases in public hospitals in Vietnam

Vu Ngoc Hieu  1   2 , Nguyen Le Hiep  3 , Le Minh Hang  4   5 , Bianca A Lau-Goodchild  6 , Nguyen Van Duong  7 , Nguyen Thuy Linh  8 , Justin Beardsley  5 , Vu Quoc Dat  5   9
Affiliations

Mycology laboratory diagnostic capacity for invasive fungal diseases in public hospitals in Vietnam

Vu Ngoc Hieu et al. Med Mycol. .

Abstract

This was a cross-sectional study on the availability of laboratory infrastructure and capacity for the diagnosis of invasive fungal diseases in 24 public hospitals in Vietnam in 2023. Among the hospitals surveyed, 66.7% (14/21) had specialized personnel assigned for mycology testing, and 95.8% (23/24) had a separate microbiology laboratory space. Microscopy and culture methods are available in nearly all laboratories for isolate identification. Antifungal susceptibility testing is only performed for yeasts in 16/24 (66.7%) laboratories. Non-culture methods are hardly used in laboratories. Strengthening local laboratory capacities is essential to meeting health needs in these endemic regions.

Keywords: antifungal susceptibility testing; invasive fungal infections; molecular diagnosis; serology testing.

Plain language summary

There was a need for investment in fungal diagnostics to improve health services in the settings with a burden of endemic fungal infections.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they do not have a conflict of interest.

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