The features and limitations of microbiology processes for the diagnosis
of bacterial meningitis were summarized. Requests for physicians were also
emphasized. The microbiology laboratory should be responsible for providing
highly reliable and concordant data with a variety of clinical settings.
Technologists in a microbiology laboratory should perform following subjects
:
i)Direct smear examination : Presumptive identification by the observers with abundant experience and sufficient training.
ii)Rapid bacterial antigen detection tests : Active utilize alone in combination with the direct microscopy.
iii)Culture : Cost effective utilize for appropriate media and culture condition based on the bacteriological statistics. Report with bacteriological interpretations and with additional proper comments, if necessary.
iv)Antimicrobial susceptibility tests : Determination of penicillin resistance among the strains of penicillin-resistant or -intermediate Streptococcus pneumoniae (PI or PRSP) should be confirmed by MIC procedures ; Detection of Ā-lactamase
producing Haemophilus influenzae (BLP) could detect by Ā-lactamase tests, but not clearly identify for
Ā-lactamase-negative ampicillin-resistant isolates(BLNAR).
In addition, a laboratory should provide appropriate information by using
the accumulated routine clinical microbiology data, which may help to physicians
in selecting an empiric therapy and to the microbiology technologists in
processing the routine microbiology.
In recent status, the most common organisms isolated from patients with bacterial meningitis continue to be S. pneumoniae and H. influenzae. Among S. pneumoniae strains, penicillin-intermediate(PISP) and -resistant(PRSP) strains had
exceeded 50%, and the strains of Ā-lactamase producing H. influenzae (BLP) had decreased with less than 10% and Ā-lactamase negative ampicillin-resistant
strains(BLNAR) have increasing.
To providing rapid and accurate results, a laboratory should require the clinical information, including patient's age, major presenting symptoms, and receive antimicrobials prior to specimen collection.
[Rinsho Byori 50 : 664`671, 2002]
*Clinical Laboratory, Juntendo University Hospital, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8431
*V°åwŪa@Õ°ļ(§113-8431 sķæ{―3-1-3)
E-mail :misanet@mbd.sphere.ne.jp