Cost of gentamicin assays carried out by microbiology laboratories.

Evaluation of five gentamicin assay procedures for clinical microbiology laboratories.

Five gentamicin assay procedures (a bioassay, an enzyme immunoassay, a latex agglutination inhibition test, a fluorescence immunoassay, and a radioimmunoassay) were evaluated to determine which was optimal for our laboratory. The evaluation was based on recovery and precision studies and results of analyses of patient samples, as well as technical assay performance factors. The latex agglutinat...

Key to antimicrobial stewardship success: Surveillance by diagnostic microbiology laboratories.

The important role of laboratories in enhancing antimicrobial stewardship activities through improved diagnostics and provision of surveillance data is globally recognised.[1] Consider the aim of an antimicrobial stewardship programme: ‘optimize clinical outcomes while minimizing the unintended consequences of antimicrobial use’. [2] The clinical microbiology laboratory plays a critical role in...

Safety and feasibility of prehospital thrombolysis carried out by paramedics.

The benefits of thrombolysis in patients with acute myocardial infarction are time dependent, with a potential 48% reduction in mortality if treatment is received within an hour of onset of symptoms. The benefits diminish thereafter. However the “call to needle” standard set by the national service framework has been achieved for only a third of patients nationally because of lengthy ambulance ...

A Review of Literature Carried out for Ncsl By

Brucella abortus infection acquired in microbiology laboratories.

We report an outbreak of laboratory-acquired Brucella abortus infection originating in the accidental breakage of a centrifuge tube. A total of 12 laboratory workers were infected (attack rate of 31%), with an incubation time ranging from 6 weeks to 5 months. Antibody titers were evaluated weekly in all personnel exposed, allowing the diagnosis of the infection in most cases before the onset of...