Center of Infectiology Charles Mérieux – Rodolphe Mérieux Laboratory (CICM/LRM)

The CICM/LRM was founded in April 2016. It is located in the western region of the Amazon rainforest within the clinical hospital of the State of Acre, Fundhacre, Brazil.

Mission

• Strengthening the regional commitment to research, molecular diagnosis, and treatment of tropical infectious diseases.
• Supports the clinic and develops new diagnostic tools that are not available in the public health system.

Organisation & infrastructures

The laboratory has a total of 400 m² of built area, divided into an administrative and a technical area. The technical area comprises approximately 250 m2 containing three BSL-2 laboratory rooms and one BSL-3 room. This BSL-3 is the only one in the state of Acre, capable of containing organisms with infectious potential.

Research activities

Study of lineage and variants of SARS-COV-2

More than 100,000 tests were carried out for patients and a study of the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 lineages was performed in partnership with other national agencies. The laboratory has advanced level studies of chronic hepatitis (HBV and HDV) and cutaneous leishmaniasis.

There is a good perspective for the next years to establish a surveillance program for emerging and resistant pathogens (AMR) in the hospital environment such as bacteria and yeast-like fungi, monitoring multidrug resistance (MDR) for tuberculosis, and investigate a prevalence of arboviruses (dengue, zika, chikungunya, mayaro, and oropuche) in the Amazon rainforest region.

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