The Department of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases consists of several units arranged according to the major divisions the discipline embraces, allowing an integrated approach to the management of infections, encompassing all aspects and departments within the Medical Center.
It incorporates the units of Clinical Microbiology, Clinical Virology, the AIDS Center, and the Tissue Typing Clinic and Bone Marrow Registry.
The Department is responsible for the control of hospital-acquired infections and provides a consultation service in clinical infectious diseases, including control of antibiotic use.
The Clinical Microbiology and Clinical Virology Units handle routine microbiological diagnostic services, conduct laboratory tests and carry out environmental surveillance.
The Clinical Virology unit is a World Health Organization center for influenza. The Department also maintains out-patient clinics for infectious diseases and an AIDS Clinic that is the regional referral center for all HIV-associated problems.
Unit of Clinical Microbiology
Head: Dr. C. Block, M.B., B.Ch., Ph.D.
The Unit performs diagnostic tests on specimens sent for bacterial, fungal and parasitic isolation, and determines the antimicrobial sensitivities of microorganisms that are recovered. In addition, the laboratory determines antimicrobial drug levels and undertakes special investigations when necessary.
The Laboratory for Fungal Infections
Head: Prof. Itzhack Polacheck, Ph.D.
The laboratory of Medical Mycology was founded in 1982 as part of the Department of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases in the Hadassah-Hebrew University Medical Center, Jerusalem. While the main role of the laboratory is diagnosis of fungi (both yeasts and molds) causing infections in patients, its research activities have contributed significantly to our knowledge of fungal infections, their pathogenesis and treatment.
The laboratory serves the Hadassah hospitals and clinics and also provides services to laboratories and clinicians outside Hadassah. The laboratory works to very high standards and is internationally recognized as one of the leaders in service and research in Medical Mycology. It uses the most recent novel state-of-the-art molecular methods supplement classical methods in identifying and characterizing fungi and antifungal agent susceptibility testing is carried out according to high international standards (CLSI) and utilizes advanced techniques, including the E-Test. Clinical data emerging from the laboratory are constantly scrutinized and evaluated by experts in the field of Medical Mycology including clinical microbiologists and clinician specialists in Infectious Disease.
Unit of Clinical Virology
Head: Prof. Dana Wolf, M.D.
The Unit is involved in diagnostic procedures of viral infections including viral isolation, rapid viral detection and serology for determination of antiviral antibodies. Clinical Virology uses state of the art diagnostic procedures, such as shell vial cultures, direct CMV antigen detection, PCR diagnosis of Rotaviruses and Adenoviruses. Currently, Real Time PCR technology is being introduced.
The Hadassah AIDS Center
Head: Prof. Shlomo Maayan, M.D.
Staff: two physicians: two nurses; two social workers; and several counselors
The only AIDS Center in the greater Jerusalem area, it is comprised of a clinic that operates twice a week and HIV testing site that operates three times a week. Presently, about 220 adult AIDS patients are followed at the clinic; pediatric patients are being followed by the Pediatric AIDS Clinic.
The clinic uses all antiretroviral drugs available in Israel. HIV resistance testing is conducted for selected cases; Therapeutic drug monitoring is being introduced. The center also runs a clinical project with Ethiopian physicians and technicians in Addis Ababa.
Tissue Typing Unit and Bone Marrow Registry
Head: Dr. Shoshana Israel, Ph.D.
The unit's main clinical service is immunogenetic evaluation for bone marrow transplantation, solid organ transplantation (kidney, pancreas, heart, lung and liver), differential diagnosis of various diseases, prenatal diagnosis, paternity testing and forensic medicine.
Since 70 percent of patients in need of bone marrow transplantation do not have an HLA matched donor, the Tissue Typing Unit has established an unrelated bone marrow donor registry and an umbilical cord blood bank and registry and is very active engaged in enlarging the number of unrelated donors in these registries.
The unit is also intensely involved in research of the immunogenetics of autoimmune diseases, the genetic make up of Israel's Jewish and Arab ethnic groups and in teaching of medical, M.Sc. and Ph.D. students.