Photo Quiz
- Photo QuizAnswer to October 2019 Photo Quiz
Editorial
The Brief Case
Minireviews
- MinireviewDiagnostic Identification and Differentiation of Microfilariae
The morphologic similarities of the microfilariae and their infrequency in clinical specimens in settings of endemicity present challenges to clinical laboratories in maintaining competence for accurate identification and differentiation.
- MinireviewClinical Laboratory Tests Used To Aid in Diagnosis of Human Prion Disease
Prion diseases are a group of rapidly progressive and always fatal neurodegenerative disorders caused by misfolded prion protein in the brain. Although autopsy remains the gold-standard diagnostic tool, antemortem laboratory testing can be performed to aid in the diagnosis of prion disease. This review is meant to help laboratory directors and physicians in their interpretation of test results.
- MinireviewAntimycobacterial Susceptibility Testing of Nontuberculous Mycobacteria
Recommendations for first-line and second-line drug testing and organism group, specific methodologies, and reporting recommendations have been addressed by the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) and are important in the selection of appropriate antimicrobial treatment regimens for nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) disease.
Bacteriology
- BacteriologyEvaluation of an In-House Colistin NP Test for Use in Resource-Limited Settings
Colistin has become increasingly important in the treatment of multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria. Resistance to colistin has emerged globally, necessitating the need for an accurate method to detect colistin resistance. The colistin NP test has shown promise as a rapid screening assay for colistin resistance.
- BacteriologyPassive Filtration, Rapid Scanning Electron Microscopy, and Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization–Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry for Treponema Culture and Identification from the Oral Cavity
We present here a new passive-filtration-based culture device combined with rapid identification with a new electron microscope (Hitachi TM4000) for the detection and culture of Treponema species from the human oral cavity. Of the 44 oral samples cultivated, 15 (34%) were found to be positive for Treponema using electron microscopy and were also culture positive. All were subcultured on agar plates; based on genome...
- BacteriologyIntroduction to Measurement of Avidity of Anti-Coxiella burnetii IgG in Diagnosis of Q Fever
Due to the atypical serological profile of some patients with primary Q fever infection who do not develop IgM against Coxiella burnetii, we developed an avidity test to distinguish recent or past infections. We tested 39 serum samples by immunofluorescence with conventional assay and after urea treatment from 26 patients at different stages of the disease.
... - BacteriologyEvaluation of the Modified Two-Tiered Testing Method for Diagnosis of Lyme Disease in Children
Conventional two-tiered testing (CTTT) for Lyme disease includes a first-tier enzyme immunoassay (EIA) followed by a supplemental immunoblot, and modified two-tiered testing (MTTT) relies on two different sequential EIAs without the inclusion of an immunoblot. MTTT has shown promising results as an alternative strategy for the diagnosis of Lyme disease in adults but has not yet been evaluated in children.
- BacteriologyThe Role of fosA in Challenges with Fosfomycin Susceptibility Testing of Multispecies Klebsiella pneumoniae Carbapenemase-Producing Clinical Isolates
With multidrug-resistant (MDR) Enterobacterales on the rise, a nontoxic antimicrobial agent with a unique mechanism of action such as fosfomycin seems attractive. However, establishing accurate fosfomycin susceptibility testing for non-Escherichia coli isolates in a clinical microbiology laboratory remains problematic. We evaluated fosfomycin susceptibility...
- BacteriologyEvaluation of Empiric β-Lactam Susceptibility Prediction among Enterobacteriaceae by Molecular β-Lactamase Gene Testing
The use of rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) for blood cultures has become standard of care in the United States to inform early antimicrobial optimization. The relative ability of genotypic and phenotypic approaches to identify beta-lactam susceptibility in Escherichia coli, Klebsiella spp., and ...
- BacteriologyRecovery of Gram-Negative Bacteria from Aerobic Blood Culture Bottles Containing Antibiotic Binding Resins after Exposure to β-Lactam and Fluoroquinolone Concentrations
Blood culture bottles containing antibiotic binding resins are routinely used to minimize artificial sterilization in the presence of antibiotics. However, the resin binding kinetics can differ between antibiotics and concentrations.
- BacteriologyIncidence and Diagnostic Yield of Repeat Urine Culture in Hospitalized Patients: an Opportunity for Diagnostic Stewardship
There is limited knowledge on the incidence, diagnostic yield, and cost associated with inappropriate repeat urine cultures. The factors that affect repeat urine culturing practices are not well understood. We conducted a retrospective study of adult inpatients who had ≥1 urine culture performed during their hospitalization between January 2015 and February 2018. We analyzed the proportion of inappropriate repeat urine cultures...
Mycobacteriology and Aerobic Actinomycetes
- Mycobacteriology and Aerobic ActinomycetesQuantiFERON-TB Performs Better in Children, Including Infants, than in Adults with Active Tuberculosis: a Multicenter Study
Immunological tests, including the QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-Tube (QFT-IT) assay, represent an important aid for diagnosing active tuberculosis (TB) and latent TB infections in children, but concerns about their use in children <5 years of age persist. This is a multicenter retrospective study comparing a population of 226 children to 521 adults with pulmonary or extrapulmonary TB.
Mycology
- MycologyA Rapid and Automated Sample-to-Result Candida auris Real-Time PCR Assay for High-Throughput Testing of Surveillance Samples with the BD Max Open System
The multidrug-resistant yeast pathogen Candida auris continues to cause outbreaks and clusters of clinical cases worldwide. Previously, we developed a real-time PCR assay for the detection of C. auris from surveillance samples (L. Leach, Y. Zhu, and S. Chaturvedi, J Clin Microbiol 56:e01223-17, 2018...
Virology
- VirologyOpportunities Revealed for Antimicrobial Stewardship and Clinical Practice with Implementation of a Rapid Respiratory Multiplex Assay
Few studies assess the utility of rapid multiplex molecular respiratory panels in adult patients. Previous multiplex PCR assays took hours to days from order time to result. We analyze the clinical impact of switching to a molecular assay with a 3-h test-turnaround-time (TAT).
Immunoassays
- ImmunoassaysEvaluation of a Gastrointestinal Pathogen Panel Immunoassay in Stool Testing of Patients with Suspected Clostridioides (Clostridium) difficile Infection
Clostridioides (Clostridium) difficile infection (CDI) is the most common causative pathogen of health care-associated gastrointestinal infections; however, due to the overlap of clinical symptoms with those of other causes of acute gastroenteritis, the selection of the most appropriate laboratory test is difficult.
- ImmunoassaysDecreased Seroreactivity in Individuals Initiating Antiretroviral Therapy during Acute HIV Infection
Antiretroviral therapy (ART) during acute HIV infection (AHI) interrupts viral dynamics and may delay the emergence of serological markers targeted by current HIV screening and confirmatory assays, thus creating challenges for correctly classifying HIV infection status.
- ImmunoassaysDevelopment for Clinical Use of a Multiplexed Immunoassay Using Sputum Samples for Streptococcus pneumoniae: a Non-Culture-Based Approach for Serotype-Specific Detection
The multiplexed immunoassay (MIA) is an automated, monoclonal antibody-based serotyping assay that uses culture lysates of Streptococcus pneumoniae. This study describes the development and validation of applying MIA directly to sputum samples for the serotype-specific detection of S. pneumoniae....
Clinical Veterinary Microbiology
- Clinical Veterinary MicrobiologyInterleukin 8 and Pentaxin (C-Reactive Protein) as Potential New Biomarkers of Bovine Tuberculosis
Bovine tuberculosis (bTB) is caused by Mycobacterium bovis. During the early stage of infection, greater than 15% of M. bovis-infected cattle shed mycobacteria through nasal secretions, which can be detected by nested PCR.
- Clinical Veterinary MicrobiologyEvaluation of an Indirect Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay Based on Recombinant Baculovirus-Expressed Rift Valley Fever Virus Nucleoprotein as the Diagnostic Antigen
The increasing risk of Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) infection as a global veterinary and public health threat demands the development of safe and accurate diagnostic tests. The aim of this study was to assess the suitability of a baculovirus expression system to produce recombinant RVFV nucleoprotein (N) for use as serodiagnostic antigen in an indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).
Epidemiology
- EpidemiologyWhole-Genome-Based Public Health Surveillance of Less Common Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli Serovars and Untypeable Strains Identifies Four Novel O Genotypes
Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) and the STEC subgroup enterohemorrhagic E. coli cause intestinal infections with symptoms ranging from watery diarrhea to hemolytic-uremic syndrome (HUS). A key tool for the epidemiological differentiation of STEC is serotyping. The serotype in...
Letters to the Editor
Masthead
NEW! ASM Open Data Policy
Current Issue
About JCM
Journal of Clinical Microbiology® (JCM) publishes the most current research related to the laboratory diagnosis of human and animal infections and the role of the laboratory in both the management of infectious diseases and the elucidation of the epidemiology of infections.
For Authors
Dr. Alexander J. McAdam, Editor in Chief
Commentary
Early treatment of HIV infection with antiretroviral therapy in recently identified HIV-infected individuals reduces viral replication and decreases the risk of transmission. The screening and supplemental, confirmatory assays used to identify infection are influenced by early treatment and may obscure a clear diagnosis of HIV infection.