Using technologies that are not commonly available, the bacteriology laboratory can identify bacteria and specific virulence factors that are difficult to detect and identify by standard techniques; aid with antimicrobial susceptibility testing and monitoring; and help to detect and track outbreaks of pathogenic bacteria. 

 <Click Here for Bacterial Culture Guidelines>

• Special Pathogen Detection
  • Actinomyces spp.: Culture; PCR
  • Bordetella pertussis: Culture; PCR
  • Legionella pneumophila: Culture; Direct fluorescent antibody; PCR
  • Mycoplasma pneumoniae: PCR
  • Mycoplasma hominis/Ureaplasma urealyticum: Culture
  • Bartonella spp.: Culture; PCR
  • Chlamydia pneumoniae: PCR
  • Chlamydia trachomatis: Culture; PCR
  • Ehrlichia/Anaplasma: PCR
  • Borrelia burgdorferi: Culture; PCR
  • Neisseria gonorrheae: Culture; PCR
• Bacterial Identification
  • Gas-liquid chromatography of glucose metabolic end products for anaerobe identification.
  • Cell wall fatty acid analysis for speciation of non-fermenting or uncommon isolates.
  • 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequence analysis for identification.
• Toxin Testing
  • Staphylococcus aureus Panton-Valentine leukocidin
  • Shiga-like toxins 1 and 2
  • Clostridium difficile toxin by antigen and cytotoxic methods
• Antibiotic Susceptibility Testing and Monitoring
  • Agar dilution susceptibility testing (MIC)
  • Antibiotic bacteriocidal determination (MIC/MBC)
  • Antibiotic serum activity (Schlichter test - MID/MBD)
  • Antibiotic synergy testing
  • Antibiotic serum level determinations
  • Molecular determination of antibiotic resistance genes
  • Methicillin resistance (mecA)
  • Vancomycin resistance (vanA; vanB; vanC)
• Molecular Epidemiology
  • Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE)
  • Restriction fragment-length polymorphisms (RFLP)