Gabriel Girouard has a whole challenge on his arms. Every day, he must fight with invisible enemies and eradicate all kinds of small bites that poison our lives. But the microbiologist-infectiologist will not change a job for all the gold in the world.
Except that he sometimes has the impression of running for the stick with two catches against him.
“The viruses are a lot in advance on us. A bacterial generation is 20 minutes. A human generation is 20 to 30 years. The viruses and bacteria were there before us and will still be there after us, ”says the 47 -year -old doctor.
“We still live on a planet a certain harmony with the microbiological world. On the other hand, there are sometimes bacteria or viruses that produce diseases, ”he adds.
“But we have several weapons in our pockets. It is rare that there is no solution. That said, some infections are lightning, such as meningitis, pneumonia. But that is part of our work, ”says the man who has been working at the Dumont CHU since 2008.
This passion for these invisible enemies dates back to its biology course in secondary school at the CSC La Fontaine, Néguac school.
He had to make a presentation on evolution (Darwin’s theory).
“My project was: how the bacteria that produces tuberculosis has become antibiotic resistant. I have always been intrigued by microorganisms, by this microscopic life. ”
Like microbiologist-infectiologist, Gabriel Girouard has several hats.
Part of its days takes place in the laboratory and the other in the clinic.
He shares his days with around forty people, including five other microbiologists-infectiologists.
“In the laboratory, there are all areas of microbiology, such as bacteriology, virology, parasitology and mycology. In parasites, we can even include the identification of certain insects of medical interest such as tick, ”he specifies.
These kinds of insects can have viruses or bacteria causing Lyme disease, the purple fever of the rocky mountains or tularemia.
Strange machines
The microbiologist lives in a world populated by strange machines of all kinds. One of these is the imposing Cobas 6800 (built by Roche), the largest machine of the genre in the province.
“It is a molecular device that allows us to identify microorganisms without growing them. The genetic equipment of certain viruses is detected on this device, such as respiratory viruses or blood viruses. ”
This machine, which lets out a beautiful blue brightness, was very useful during the episode of COVID-19.
“This is what made it largely allowed to do very large scale tests. During this period, there was an incredible request for tests. We are talking about several thousand tests per day, ”he says.
But it is only a facet of his work.
“We offer scientific medical expertise at the work of laboratory technologists. We ensure that there are quality controls, we establish new procedures, we carry out validation tests or we can check the performance of a device that we have just bought. Reporting mandatory declaration diseases and detecting antibiotic resistance »
He adds that all bacteriology reports are approved by the medical microbiologist.
A busy daily
The life of a microbiologist is not easy. His tasks are numerous and his responsibilities are important.
“A typical day depends if I am on guard or in the laboratory. In the first case, I arrive in the hospital and I have to tour the patients, manage the hatching in the hospital, “he said.
“We can give our opinion on antibiotic treatment, diagnostic tests or what care must be given to the patient. We can therefore have lots of calls and cover the entire province. I do not necessarily see a patient physically, but a doctor from Bathurst can communicate with me to ask me for my opinion, ”adds the microbiologist.
When he is on duty, we are talking about a responsibility of 24 hours a day for seven days.
“The phone ringing constantly. We receive calls from the urgentologist, from the doctor to intensive care, surgeons or orthopedists, family doctors and consultations are often quite urgent, ”explains Gabriel Girouard.
“When we talk about infectious disease, it is rare that we can wait to see the patient in a week. When he makes 40 degrees of fever and his leg is red, you can’t wait. It’s a huge week, but we then spend the torch to our colleague. ”
He must also find the time to see patients who present themselves at the external clinic three to five days a week.
We are talking here of patients who need a consultation or follow -up in the case of HIV, hepatitis or tuberculosis or uncomplicated tissue infections, such as cellulite.
Add to this meetings, participation in several committees, in addition to the medical supervision of all microbiology laboratories of the Vitality network (Bathurst, Campbellton and Edmundston) and you have a very busy schedule.
“There is also an occasionally lend to the Horizon health network, therefore to other hospitals in New Brunswick by offering telephone advice after normal hours,” he adds.
When he is assigned to the laboratory, it is behind a microscope that he spends part of his day.
“We must answer questions from technologists and manage external shipments in the case of analyzes that we do not do here.”
Gabriel Girouard says he loves his work.
“I am very happy in my job. I really like the laboratory, but I also love the clinic. I like the fact that we often have a solution, an answer and we solve the problem. It’s very satisfactory, ”he said.
“With pandemics and infectious, emerging diseases, you have to know how to respond, organize quickly and offer diagnostic tests because they are often diseases that turn society upside down. Infectious diseases are brutal and everything can quickly capsize ”.
And for the future, Gabriel Girouard believes that we should already prepare immediately for the hatching of the next grippal pandemic.
“With everything that is currently going on around avian flu, people are worried that we may be experiencing the next emergence pandemic.”
Except that the next large pandemic is impossible to predict, according to him.
“It is a question of chance. It’s a stroke of a die. Flu pandemics are born when you don’t expect it. It will come from a place on the planet that we did not expect at all. ”
