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Biomedical subjects

M Pezzlo

Publications and source records attributed to M Pezzlo.

11 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1988

Detection of urinary tract infections by rapid methods.

A review of rapid urine screens for detection of bacteriuria and pyuria demonstrates a number of available alternatives to the culture method. Selection of one or more of these systems for routine use is dependent upon the laboratory and the patient population being tested. The laboratory approach to the diagnosis of urinary tract infection should consider the clinical diagnosis of the patient whenever possible. Keeping in mind that quantitative urine cultures alone cannot be used to detect infection in some patient populations unless lower colony counts are considered, a rapid screen may be a more practical approach. It has become accepted that 10(5) CFU/ml can no longer be used as the standard for all patient groups, that pyuria often is important in making the diagnosis of a urinary tract infection, and that most of the rapid screens are more sensitive than the culture method at 10(5) CFU/ml. Presently, no one approach can be recommended for all laboratories and all patient groups. However, each diagnostic laboratory should select one approach which is best for its situation. It is not practical, efficient, or cost effective to define a protocol for each possible clinical condition; however, all should be considered when developing a protocol. This protocol should be compatible with the patient population and communicated to the physicians. Use of a rapid screen should be beneficial to the patient, the physician, and the laboratory.

Bacterial Infections↗
PubMed1986

Role of screening tests in rapid testing.

Screening tests have had a major role in the diagnostic microbiology laboratory during recent years. Many factors have contributed to the increased use of these methods. The primary factor is the need for rapid detection and identification of the etiologic agent in life-threatening infections, which include bacterial meningitis, infective endocarditis and septicemia, and pneumonia. Various direct screening methods are also available for eliminating negative specimens rapidly. These methods have had an impact on laboratory work flow and the outpatient population by eliminating the possibility of bacterial infections of the urinary, upper respiratory, and gastrointestinal tracts. Screening methods have also been applied to isolated colonies for the rapid differentiation and identification of certain groups of organisms. Finally, many of these screening methods have contributed to cost-savings for both the laboratory and the patient. In this era of prospective pricing, and until the entrance of biotechnology into the diagnostic microbiology laboratory, the microbiologist must rely upon these rapid, inexpensive screening procedures. The role of these screening tests in the diagnostic microbiology laboratory and their impact on patient care and cost are reviewed herein.

Agglutination Tests↗
PubMed1982

Clinical and laboratory efficiency of rapid screening urine cultures by nephelometry.

Urine cultures represent 40-50% of specimens processed by hospital clinical microbiology laboratories. An accurate rapid screening method to detect positive urine cultures could greatly improve laboratory efficiency. Three hundred eighty-two unselected urines were screened by nephelometry at 2, 4, and 5 hours of shaking and incubation in Autobac cuvettes. Results were compared in parallel with standard quantitative-loop plate cultures of the same specimens. Fifty-eight of the 382 specimens showed significant positive (greater than or equal to 10(5) CFU/ml) standard plate cultures. Fifty-four of the 58 were positive at 4 hours by the nephelometric method (sensitivity 93%, 7% false negatives). Plate cultures of the four false negative specimens grew greater than 10(5) CFU/ml Candida (two specimens), Staphylococcus epidermidis or diphtheroids (one specimen each) and represented colonization or contamination without evidence of infection. For 324 specimens negative by plate culture, nephelometry was negative in 287 (89% specificity or 11% false positives). Overall predictive value of a negative test was 99%. Results were comparable for clean-voided or catheterized specimens. The rapid nephelometric urine culture method gave significant savings of material and time.

Catheterization↗
PubMed1982

Control of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in a burn unit: role of nurse staffing.

We investigated retrospectively the spread of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRS) in a burn unit. During 8 months, 34% of the patients acquired MRS, and transmission continued despite barrier isolation precautions and treatment of colonized personnel with topical intranasal antibiotics. Several findings suggested MRS was spread primarily by contact transmission involving personnel: case-control comparison showed burn size to be the major host risk factor for colonization; correlation analysis of environmental factors revealed a significant (p = 0.001) association of new cases with increased patient load and with staffing by overtime or temporary nurses; and environmental sampling yielded few colonies of MRS. The outbreak halted following implementation of control measures, among which assignment of separate nurses to colonized patients appeared to be essential. The association of different nurse staffing variables with persistence then eradication of MRS suggests nurse staffing may have been an important factor in staphylococcal transmission.

Adult↗
PubMed1979

Wound infection associated with Vibrio alginolyticus.

A 42-year-old man had an infected ulcerated lesion of the anterior aspect of the right lower extremity. Vibrio alginolyticus was twice isolated from the lesion. Emphasis is placed on the clinical and laboratory characteristics of this organism and its differentiation from other halophilic vibrios.

Adult↗
PubMed1977

Enteric pathogens: use of flow diagrams for identification.

A protocol is presented for the cultural processing of stool specimens. Flow diagrams were developed which allow all stool cultures to be processed in a consistent and efficient manner. Criteria have been established to indicate when definitive identification and antimicrobial susceptibility testing are required. A review of the food-poisoning syndrome and infective gastrointestinal disease due to bacterial agents is included.

Aeromonas↗
PubMed1976

Flow diagrams for processing urine cultures.

A protocol is presented for the processing of clean voided urine specimens, indwelling and nonindwelling catheter specimens, and special specimens, e.g., suprapubic aspirations, ureteral and kidney specimens, etc. Flow diagrams were developed which allow all urine cultures to be processed in a consistent and efficient manner. Criteria have been established to indicate when definitive identification and antimicrobial susceptibility testing are necessary.

Bacteriological Techniques↗