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.
Do You Know Influenza?
It’s the time of year when sniffles and coughs can be heard throughout the office and laboratory. Did you remember to get your flu shot during all the holiday chaos? Influenza season is in full swing! Keep your hand sanitizer close by, increase your vitamin C...
A Microbiologist’s Journey Through the Gym
Gyms are gross. Aside from the sweaty bodies and abundant aromas gliding about the room, unique bacterial flora is deposited from gym goers on every surface. Microbiologists have proven time and again that public places are cesspools of bacterial diversity. The...
How to Implement MALDI Technology in Your Lab
For over 100 years, bacteria have been identified by their biochemical properties through the use of various test methods. With the addition of MALDI-TOF Mass Spectrophotometry (MS) technology, things are changing. In this post, we offer a brief overview of MALDI-TOF...
What Labs Should Know about STECs
STEC may not be a household term, but it is of great significance to food and clinical laboratories. In this post, we will describe what laboratories can do to help protect the public from this harmful and increasingly important group of bacteria. The information...
The Who’s Who of E. coli Strains
Escherichia coli may be the world’s most recognized bacterial species, but this one species varies tremendously. E. coli is found almost everywhere; from soil to raw meat to human intestines. There are plenty of good E. coli strains such as those that assist in food...
Get the Facts on Antibiotic Resistance: 18 Helpful Resources
For years, health organizations including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) have warned that antibiotic resistance is a major global threat. The Review on Antimicrobial Resistance estimates that at least...
The Battle with Tuberculosis Rages On
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), tuberculosis (TB) is the greatest infectious killer worldwide after HIV/AIDS. Most cases of the disease can be treated by isoniazid and rifampicin, two powerful anti-TB drugs. Unfortunately, a drug resistant strain has...
The Bugs of the XXXI Olympiad
After months of anticipation and media coverage about Zika virus and water quality issues in Brazil, the Games of the XXXI Olympiad in Rio de Janeiro are underway. Watching rugby players collide and rowers racing across Guanabara Bay made us wonder which...
Environmental Isolate Case Files: Serratia marcescens
In 1950, a United States Navy ship spent six days spraying Serratia marcescens into the air two miles off the coast of San Francisco. The spraying was part of a biological weapon test called Operation Sea Spray. Prior to the 1950s, S. marcescens was considered to be a...
How to Choose QC Strains for Microbial ID Systems
Quality control testing for microbial identification systems is an important step all laboratories should take to ensure accurate results. However, it can be difficult to decide which strains to use for QC. In this post, we will provide tips and resources to help you...
