CLINICAL
CLINICAL MICROBIOLOGY
Read articles about clinical microbiology from Microbiologics’ experts and other field experts. Learn about clinical lab best practices, case files, identifying viral, fungal, bacterial, and parasitic agents contributing to the infectious process, and more.
Environmental Isolate Case File: Corynebacterium spp.
Everyone has heard of diphtheria, but this familiar infection caused by a Corynebacterium strain isn’t the only illness laboratories should be concerned about. Sterile manufacturing facilities should also be on the lookout for non-diphtherial Corynebacterium. These...
Dear Stanley: 2018 CLSI M100 Updates
Dear Stanley, CLSI M100 was updated this year. What are some of the biggest changes and how do they impact QC in my lab? Ruth from Chicago, IL Dear Ruth, Great question! In 2018, there were many changes to CLSI M100 (Performance Standards for Antimicrobial...
11 Pour Plate Method Best Practices
The pour plate method is an economical way for pharmaceutical, contract and even food laboratories to perform tests focused on a specific number of bacteria. The process may seem simple (melt, pipette, pour, swirl, incubate), but errors have been known to occur....
Dear Stanley: Differences Between Synthetic and Inactivated Molecular Standards
Dear Stanley, What are the differences between inactivated and synthetic molecular standards? I see that Microbiologics offers both types of standards, and I’d like some help determining which is best for my lab. MaryLou from Atlanta, GA Dear MaryLou, This is an...
7 Rules to Follow When Writing about Microorganisms
Recalling and pronouncing peculiar microorganism names is a skill every microbiologist has mastered. However, the intricate rules for writing about microorganisms may leave even experienced microbiologists second-guessing how to annotate or spell a strain name. Our...
On the Plate: Salmonella
After Escherichia coli, Salmonella might be one of the world’s most recognized bacterial species. Outbreaks of Salmonella have occurred in several food products including the well-known peanut butter outbreak in 2009 in which 714 people in 46 states became ill and 9...
5 Reasons to Avoid Maintaining Stock Cultures in Your Lab
Are you certain the reference stock cultures you use for quality control are identical to the reference cultures you originally purchased? A study performed by Cross, Russel and Desai examined working cultures from eight accredited microbial testing...
The History of Influenza
Influenza has a long and sordid record of menacing humans. Throughout the progression of science and the understanding of medicine, multiple instances of the flu have impacted various regions around the world. Some outbreaks have been more deadly and widespread than...
Our Top Posts from 2017
To say our writers were busy in 2017 is an understatement. We shared best practices for growth promotion testing on selective media, asked for your opinion on B. cepacia testing, and reminded you why microbiologists are the coolest people in the lab. Stanley...
10 Interesting Facts about Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis
Photo: Drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Source: CDC) The largest recent outbreak of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) in the United States is currently unfolding in the Minnesota Hmong community. Many Hmong elders were resettled in the Twin Cities...
