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Human physiology, hazards and health risks
Published in Stephen Battersby, Clay's Handbook of Environmental Health, 2023
Revati Phalkey, Naima Bradley, Alec Dobney, Virginia Murray, John O’Hagan, Mutahir Ahmad, Darren Addison, Tracy Gooding, Timothy W Gant, Emma L Marczylo, Caryn L Cox
The diagnosis of bacterial infection can occur via a variety of methods which includes: Direct visualisation of bacteria via microscopy of human samples including body fluids and faeces. Bacteria can also be cultured from human specimen such as blood in specially prepared culture media that provide an ideal environment for these organisms to grow, for example, the use of blood cultures to diagnose infection with Staphylococcus and Streptococcus species.Serology: this involves the use of a variety of techniques to detect and quantify specific antibodies in human samples or provide evidence of raised antibody titres from paired specimen following infection with a specific pathogen.Molecular methods: this approach involves the detection of specific molecules or genetic material using techniques such as probe hybridisation, PCR amplification and ligase chain reaction.Chlamydia, Mycoplasma, Rickettsiae and Coxiellae – These organisms represent a heterogeneous group of bacteria with unique phenotypic characteristic that are dependent on living cells for their survival.
Antimicrobial and resource utilization with T2 magnetic resonance for rapid diagnosis of bloodstream infections: systematic review with meta-analysis of controlled studies
Published in Expert Review of Medical Devices, 2021
Maddalena Giannella, George A. Pankey, Renato Pascale, Valerie M. Miller, Larry E. Miller, Tamara Seitz
Blood cultures (BC) followed by post-BC species identification for positive tests remain the gold standard for diagnosing bacterial and fungal bloodstream infections (BSIs). However, major limitations of BC include slow turnaround time and suboptimal sensitivity [4]. Consequently, there has been recent interest in developing rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) to identify specific pathogens responsible for BSIs and to facilitate earlier administration of AAT or de-escalation of unnecessary antibiotics. Numerous RDTs are available to detect sepsis-causing pathogens yet most depend on waiting for BC results before processing, which may hinder their adoption into clinical workflows [12]. There is a clear unmet need for faster, culture-independent diagnostic methods for specific pathogen identification in patients with BSI.