We’ve teamed up with experienced CAP auditor, Joslyn Pribble, to help clinical labs navigate CAP and COLA/CMS/CLIA requirements. Through a series of webinars and blog posts, we’re aiming to provide you with lab best practices so you can ace your…
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Several factors can influence the accuracy of aerobic plate counts used to estimate the number of microorganisms in food, cosmetic, pharmaceutical, and household products. Below are a few best practices we recommend for achieving consistent and accurate counts. 1. Ensure…
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Gram staining is an important procedure all microbiologists should master. A laboratorian performs a Gram stain for many reasons – from screening the quality of a sputum sample to rapid presumptive diagnosis of an illness like bacterial meningitis. How to…
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Read Next – 7 Streak Plate Best Practices
Last week we shared the Clinical Case File of a patient with persistent dysuria and asked our readers to determine the cause of the symptom. Here are the poll results: Adenovirus (4%, 7 Votes) Herpes simplex virus (9%, 21 Votes)…
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Read the case study below and then use your microbiology expertise to determine which pathogen is causing the symptoms. The results will be shared on August 1, 2019. Good luck! Background: Determining which sexually transmitted infection (STI) is causing uncomfortable…
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In 2016, two biologists from Indiana University estimated that there are about a trillion species of bacteria on earth.1 With so many choices, how can a teacher select the best strains for her microbiology class? Below are a few tips…
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Q: How frequently should I test targets for my molecular multiplex testing assays? A: This is a common question for inspectors, vendors, and laboratorians. Unfortunately, there are no cut-and-dried answers, but there are some best practices that you can apply…
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Dear Stanley, Do you know of any Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae strains that will grow at 44.5°C? I need thermotolerant controls for my fecal coliform test. Angie from Rochester, NY Dear Angie, Microbiologics has a document that can help…
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