A 5-year-old boy with no past medical history presented to the emergency department with a 4-day history of low-grade fever, abdominal pain, and watery diarrhea with intermittent mild hematochezia. Seven days before presentation, he had attended a family barbecue and had consumed chicken that was slightly raw. His family members showed no symptoms despite consuming the same chicken. On physical...

The bacterial antigen test (BAT) screens cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) or other body fluids for antigens of classic bacterial meningitis pathogens (i.e., Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae type b [Hib], group B Streptococcus species, Neisseria meningitidis, and Escherichia coli K1) (7). The utility of the BAT has been questioned in several published reports (2, 5, 6, 8, 12, 15). Furth...

Gram stains were performed on strains of Actinomyces bovis, Actinomyces viscosus, Arthrobacter globiformis, Bacillus brevis, Butyrivibrio fibrisolvens, Clostridium tetani, Clostridium thermosaccharolyticum, Corynebacterium parvum, Mycobacterium phlei, and Propionibacterium acnes, using a modified Gram regimen that allowed the staining process to be observed by electron microscopy (J. A. Davies,...

To assess the usefulness of the Gram stain in the early diagnosis of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP), we performed 146 protected specimen brushings (PSB) and bronchoalveolar lavages (BAL) in 118 patients suspected of having nosocomial pneumonia. Gram stain and counts of infected cells were performed in all samples from BAL fluid. A final diagnosis of pneumonia was established in 51 patien...

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to examine the characteristics of Gram stain versus Pap smear in diagnosis of bacterial vaginosis (BV). METHODS One-thousand and sixty women were enrolled in this study. All cases with symptoms of BV were determined by Amsel's criteria, which were accepted as the gold standard for diagnosis of BV. Pap smear and Gram stain evaluations were compared accor...

EVective utilisation and understanding of the clinical bacteriology laboratory can greatly aid in the diagnosis of infectious diseases. Although described more than a century ago, the Gram stain remains the most frequently used rapid diagnostic test, and in conjunction with various biochemical tests is the cornerstone of the clinical laboratory. First described by Danish pathologist Christian G...

To address Gram stain proficiency in a satellite/centralized microbiology laboratory paradigm, non-microbiology technologists were required to interpret standardized Gram-stained preparations of clinical material (quality assurance program 1). Clinical Gram stains prepared and read by satellite laboratorians were reviewed by microbiologists (quality assurance program 2). Satisfactory performanc...

In this study, urinary culture, urinary Gram stain, and four tests within the urinalysis, leukocyte esterase, nitrite, microscopyfor bacteria, and microscopyforpyuria, were examined in 100 children with symptoms suggesting urinary tract infection. Our purpose was to determine the validity of the urinary Gram stain compared with a combination of pyuria plus Gram stain and overall urinalysis (pos...

We quantify the false-negative diagnostic rate of septic arthritis using Gram-stain microscopy of synovial fluid and compare this to values reported in the peer-reviewed literature. We propose a method of improving the diagnostic value of Gram-stain microscopy using Lithium Heparin containers that prevent synovial fluid coagulation. Retrospective study of the Manchester Royal Infirmary microbio...