A new test developed in Fresno is helping doctors diagnose Valley fever faster.
While similar technology exists, this machine is the first in the world to be able to test for the specific strain of Valley fever that's found in California and make a diagnosis in about five hours, compared to three weeks, according to Dr. Dominic Dizon, associate clinical professor of medicine at UCSF Fresno, who helped develop this technology.
"First-rate medical research does happen here in Fresno, and we want everybody to be proud about that," Dizon says.
Valley fever--a fungal disease found in soil in arid parts of the U.S., Central and South America--can spread from the lungs throughout the body and even cause death.
The disease is often misdiagnosed because the symptoms are similar to those of the flu, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The new machine is located inside the microbiology lab in Fresno's Community Regional Medical Center. The technology streamlines several steps in the process of testing for the disease.
"That was the exciting part, for us to realize it actually works, and it works very well," says Marilyn Mitchell, the lab's supervisor. She and her staff were tasked with automating the steps to make the process convenient and efficient.
A $23,000 grant from the Central California Faculty Medical Group (CCFMG) funded the research.
Dizon says although patients throughout the state can use the test for about $200, the machine is not intended for commercial use. The hope, he says, is that others will use the research and technology to have machines of their own.
"We're here so that other departments within the state, specifically Kern, for instance, Merced--if this [research] gets published, they can see exactly how we do it, and they themselves can get the machine and do it on their own," Dizon says.
Next month, doctors will present this research in Phoenix, Arizona at the Valley Fever Center for Excellence international conference.