Clinical Microbiology Laboratory Man

A Guide to Specimen Management in Clinical Microbiology is the classic reference that addresses and meets the needs of everyone in the "total testing process" circle. It provides complete, concise information on the unique needs of the microbiology laboratory regarding specimen management and is the only single source for the specimen management policies required for laboratory results that are accurate, significant, and clinically relevant. Medical, nursing, and medical technology students, practicing physicians, private practice offices, clinical laboratories, and public health laboratories can turn to this valuable resource to answer their questions on issues such as the correct procedures of specimen selection, collection, transport, and storage in the clinical microbiology laboratory, the rationale associated with the specimen requirements, and proper communication between the lab and its clients.

A modern, evaluative, and integrative approach to diagnostic microbiology encouraging problem-solving in the clinical laboratory context through the use of examples to illustrate clinical and diagnostic issues Clinical Microbiology for Diagnostic Laboratory Scientists is designed to encourage readers to develop a way of thinking that can be applied to any diagnostic scenario in microbiology. Through consideration of a selected range of infections caused by pathogenic bacteria, viruses, fungi, protozoa, and helminths, the book encourages readers to explore connections between the available information about clinical symptoms, pathogenesis of infections, and the approaches used in laboratory diagnosis, in order to develop new insights. The book begins with an introductory chapter that outlines the scope of clinical diagnostic microbiology and the key areas for the laboratory scientist to be aware of. The subsequent six chapters review a type of infection in depth, using particular pathogenic microorganisms to illustrate salient points. At the end of each chapter there are three exercises related to management of a diagnostic service and assessing the suitability of test methods to specific contexts. There are no right or wrong answers to these, but the reader can discuss them with their laboratory colleagues or university tutor. Makes extensive use of published research in the form of journal articles, publically available epidemiological data, professional guidelines, and specialist websites Stimulates the reader in critical appraisal of published evidence and encourages problem-solving in the laboratory Outlines the scope of clinical diagnostic microbiology and the key areas for the laboratory scientist to be aware of Considers topics relevant to professional scientists working in the area of diagnostic microbiology Clinical Microbiology for Diagnostic Laboratory Scientists is ideal for post graduate scientists intending to pursue careers in diagnostic clinical microbiology and for biomedical scientists, clinical scientists, and full time students studying for upper level qualifications in biomedical science, microbiology, or virology.

This issue of Clinics in Laboratory Medicine, guest edited by James E. Kirby, will focus on Advances and Trends in Clinical Microbiology and take a look at the next 20 years. Topics include, but are not limited to, Rapid susceptibility testing methods; Synergy testing; Serology testing re-imagined; Total Laboratory Automation in Clinical Microbiology; MALDI-TOF; Superbugs of the Future, the Antimicrobial Laboratory Resistance Network, Partnerships between Public Health and the clinical microbiology laboratory; Next generation sequencing, from identification to susceptibility prediction; Distributed microbiology testing; Direct from Sample Identification; Biomarkers - predicting viral versus bacterial infection; PK/PD in the era of emerging multidrug-resistance; Training the next generation of clinical microbiologists; and Pictorial illustration of debate, developments, and controversy in clinical microbiology.

Clinical microbiologists are engaged in the field of diagnostic microbiology to determine whether pathogenic microorganisms are present in clinical specimens collected from patients with suspected infections. If microorganisms are found, these are identified and susceptibility profiles, when indicated, are determined. During the past two decades, technical advances in the field of diagnostic microbiology have made constant and enormous progress in various areas, including bacteriology, mycology, mycobacteriology, parasitology, and virology. The diagnostic capabilities of modern clinical microbiology laboratories have improved rapidly and have expanded greatly due to a technological revolution in molecular aspects of microbiology and immunology. In particular, rapid techniques for nucleic acid amplification and characterization combined with automation and user-friendly software have significantly broadened the diagnostic arsenal for the clinical microbiologist. The conventional diagnostic model for clinical microbiology has been labor-intensive and frequently required days to weeks before test results were available. Moreover, due to the complexity and length of such testing, this service was usually directed at the hospitalized patient population. The physical structure of laboratories, staffing patterns, workflow, and turnaround time all have been influenced profoundly by these technical advances. Such changes will undoubtedly continue and lead the field of diagnostic microbiology inevitably to a truly modern discipline. Advanced Techniques in Diagnostic Microbiology provides a comprehensive and up-to-date description of advanced methods that have evolved for the diagnosis of infectious diseases in the routine clinical microbiology laboratory. The book is divided into two sections. The first techniques section covers the principles and characteristics of techniques ranging from rapid antigen testing, to advanced antibody detection, to in vitro nucleic acid amplification techniques, and to nucleic acid microarray and mass spectrometry. Sufficient space is assigned to cover different nucleic acid amplification formats that are currently being used widely in the diagnostic microbiology field. Within each technique, examples are given regarding its application in the diagnostic field. Commercial product information, if available, is introduced with commentary in each chapter. If several test formats are available for a technique, objective comparisons are given to illustrate the contrasts of their advantages and disadvantages. The second applications section provides practical examples of application of these advanced techniques in several "hot" spots in the diagnostic field. A diverse team of authors presents authoritative and comprehensive information on sequence-based bacterial identification, blood and blood product screening, molecular diagnosis of sexually transmitted diseases, advances in mycobacterial diagnosis, novel and rapid emerging microorganism detection and genotyping, and future directions in the diagnostic microbiology field. We hope our readers like this technique-based approach and your feedback is highly appreciated. We want to thank the authors who devoted their time and efforts to produce their chapters. We also thank the staff at Springer Press, especially Melissa Ramondetta, who initiated the whole project. Finally, we greatly appreciate the constant encouragement of our family members through this long effort. Without their unwavering faith and full support, we would never have had the courage to commence this project.

Although there are a number of comprehensive books in clinical micro biology, there remains a need for a manual that can be used in the clinical laboratory to guide the daily performance of its work. Most of the existing publications provide detailed and precise information, for example, by which a microorganism can be characterized and identified beyond any doubt; however, the number of tests involved in this process exceeds the capabilities and resources of most clinical laboratories and are irrelevant for patient care. It is, therefore, necessary in any clinical laboratory to extract from reference manuals, textbooks, and journals those tests and procedures that are to be used to complete the daily workload !is efficiently and accurately as possible. It is also essential in the clinical laboratory to determine, on the basis of the kind of specimen being examined, which microorganisms are clinically relevant and require isolation and identifica tion and which should either be excluded selectively or simply regarded as indigenous Hora and, therefore, not specifically identified. Cost and time limit a laboratory's resources, and priorities must be established for handling the workload. The procedures described in this manual are those selected by our staff for use in the clinical laboratory on the basis of clinical relevance, accuracy, reproducibility, and efficiency. ' Alternative procedures, when considered equivalent on the basis of personal or published experience, have been in cluded where appropriate.

This issue of Clinics in Laboratory Medicine, guest edited by Drs. Nicole D. Pecora and Matthew Pettengill, will cover Current Issues in Clinical Microbiology. This issue is one of four selected each year by our Editor-in-Chief, Dr. Milenko Jovan Tanasijevic. Topics discussed in this issue will include: Update in Diagnostics of Bloodstream Infections, Panels and Syndromic Testing in Clinical Microbiology, Lab Consolidation and Centralization, Update in Susceptibility Testing: Phenotypic and Genotypic Methods, Genomics in the Clinical Microbiology Laboratory, Automation in the Clinical Microbiology Laboratory, Coronavirus Detection in the Clinical Microbiology Laboratory: Are We Ready for Identifying and Diagnosing a Novel Strain?, Update on Biosafety and Emerging Infections for the Clinical Microbiology Lab, Update in Clinical Mycology, Point of Care Testing in Microbiology, Pediatric Diagnostic Microbiology, Antimicrobial Stewardship: What the Clinical Laboratory Needs to Know, Fellowship Training for the Future Clinical Microbiology Laboratory Director, Update in Diagnostics/Susceptibility of Mycobacterial Diseases, Role of the Clinical Microbiology Lab in One Health, Update in Infectious Disease Diagnosis in Surgical Pathology, and more.

About the Diagnostic Standards of Care Series A key issue for every laboratory and individual laboratory practitioner is the assessment of risk and a current working knowledge of the standards of care established for diagnostic testing via guidelines, major studies and trials. The Diagnostic Standards of Care series presents an overview of the key diagnoses in clinical pathology using case examples to illustrate effective analysis of the case in light of current evidence and standards for the problem discussed. In addition to being practical diagnostic guides, these volumes will have a unique emphasis on quality assurance and evidence-based testing practices and the role of the pathologist in ensuring quality and patient safety. Clinical Microbiology addresses common medical errors seen in the clinical microbiology laboratory in order to show these errors to pathologists and laboratory technicians as well as clinicians. The goal is to allow such errors to be corrected by both individual effort and a systems approach in the laboratory. The book addresses potential medical errors in test ordering and specimen collection, testing in the laboratory, and reporting and interpretation of test results. Each of these phases can have an adverse impact on the diagnosis and treatment of an infectious disease if a medical error occurs. Potential medical errors are described and discussed in a clinical case-based learning format to effectively illustrate the conditions that contribute to these errors and enable the reader to recognize and avoid them in daily practice. Clinical Microbiology Features Descriptions of potential errors in test ordering and specimen collection in clinical microbiology Descriptions of potential errors in test performance in clinical microbiology Descriptions of potential errors in test reporting and interpretation in clinical microbiology Clinical case discussions provide "real world" illustrations of potential errors and how to anticipate and avoid them in practice Is pocket-sized for portability