Culturing for Strep and Rapid Tests(Lab)

In lab this following week we used throat swabs to culture bacteria onto Sheep Blood Agar.  Hopefully this flow chart will help the next time you suspect an infection with any of the Groups of Streptococcus. We also used a simple rapid test called Quick Vue Dipstick to test for Group A Streptococcal antigen.  This test is a lateral flow immunoassay.  A positive test Shows a pink/purple color on the test line and a blue control line which corresponds to a patient being positive for Group A streptococcal antigen.  A negative test is simply the presence of a blue control line only with no color in the test line. 

THORACENTESIS (lecture)

Thoracentesis is a collection method used to collect pleural fluid from the lungs.  This pleural fluid can be sent to the laboratory to detect and diagnose infections of the lower repiratory tract.  Patients with pneumonia and tuberculosis may need to have this procedure done.  The entire thoracentesis procedure lasts 10 to 15 minutes.  The doctor inserts a needle between the ribs and into the pleural space (located between the lungs and the chest wall) with the assistance of an ultrasound. Ouch!

Urine Cultures (Lab)

Urine cultures are performed when a patient exhibits symptoms of a urinary tract infection.  The presence of a single type of bacteria growing at high colony counts is considered to be a positive urine culture.  If a mid stream clean catch is properly collected cultures with greater than 100,000 CFU/mL usually indicates a urinary tract infection.  For urine specimens collected from a sterile site such as a catheter  results of 1,000 to 100,000 could be significant. To determine the final ID the colony morphology should be examined and the appropriate tests performed. If there is no growth on a urine culture in 24-48 hours then this probably means that the patient is free from infection. 

Urinary Tract Infections (lecture)

Last week in class we discussed Urinary Tract Infections (UTI's).  UTI's are one of the most common bacterial infections and affects both sexes and all age groups. Women, diabetics, and men with enlarged prostates have the highest risk of developing a UTI.  There are several different types of bacteriuria ( bacteria in the urine) that cause UTI's including: Asymptomatic, Pyelonephritis, Urethritis, Cystitis, and Acute urethral syndrome.  I have found a link to http://www.kidney.org/kidneyDisease/uti/index.html that is very helpful and discusses UTI facts, prevention, treatment, symptoms, and diagnosis.  There is even a short quiz that you can take to test your knowledge on the topic.

Nine People Killed from Bacteria in IV Solutions

Nineteen hospitals in Alabama, and 6 hospitals in the Birmingham area, received contaminated Total parenteral nutrition (TPN) from IV Meds Pharmacy in Birmingham.  The bacteria was found to be Serratia marcescens and was linked to the pharmacy by a swab from a water faucet inside the pharmacy.  As a result, 19 patients were affected and 6 patients died. To read more on this topic go to http://www.cnn.com/2011/HEALTH/03/31/alabama.hospitals.deaths/

WELCOME!

Welcome to Qualita's Infectious Disease Blog created for discussions related to Microbiology and Infectious Diseases for CLS 538 and 539/ MT 438 and 439 courses. My name is Qualita and I am a  27 year old graduate student at UAB.  I will begin making posts, comments, pictures, and additional information related to both lecture and laboratory class sessions.  I hope that you all will find my blog to be interesting and informative.  Feel free to leave comments and suggestions. I'm looking forward to an exciting semester in Microbiology!