The true microbiologists are a rare breed indeed! I remember having a
full compliment of sera for both Salmonella and Shigella, but as Judy
says, it got too expensive and we relegated typing to the state.
I did want to add to the discussion about the API strips and automated
instruments replacing traditional agars and biochemical tests. A long
time ago (in the 70's in another lab) we had a demo by the API rep and
she included a rare E. coli that the API successfully identified. This
thing was H2S positive and in many ways resembled Salmonella. We were
quite impressed and the API strips soon replaced my hand made agar
slants.
Then here in my present lab (staffed by rotating techs and automated
equipment) I was following one of those techs who was apparently
working up a Salmonella. But on closer look by me I realized that this
might be that rare H2S positive E. coli. I sent it to the state lab and
they went crazy over it trying every sera in their kits. Finally the
supervisor called me and asked me if I was trying to trick them. I knew
it was an E. coli, just wanted them to experience it too.
Technology cannot truly replace an experienced microbiologist, and the
techs today look more to technology to give them answers. So to answer
Tri, you can't take shortcuts and rely too much on technology.
--
John Gentile MS, M(ASCP)
Ancillary Applications Informatics Spc.
VA Medical Center
Providence, RI
On 2009-04-30 18:30:29 -0400, "N10" <limbic_lesion from hotmail.com> said:
> OMG ! someone actually bothers to use , let alone heard of Vi anti
> sera....There really are some actual, microbiologists left and operating on
> this planet :):):)
>> May the light in culturescontinue to flouresce :)
>>>> All the best
>> N10
>>>> "JEDilworth" <bactitech from hortonsbay.com> wrote in message
> news:pOKdnXDcn6avZmTUnZ2dnUVZ_rwAAAAA from buckeye-express.com...>> N10 is exactly right. I have had automated systems call an organism
>> Salmonella or Shigella, and API call it something else. We are required in
>> our laboratory to confirm with serological agglutinations before we report
>> these bugs. Too much hangs on these results, since these are enteric
>> pathogens reported to the state health department and ultimately wind up
>> in
>> CDC's statistics.
>>>> We then send the isolate to the state health department for further
>> serogrouping. It is expensive to maintain lots of different antisera so we
>> are going to carry only the Poly and Vi Antisera in the future and leave
>> it
>> up to the state to further group the isolate.
>>>> Judy Dilworth, M.T. (ASCP)
>> Microbiology
>>>> "N10" <limbic_lesion from hotmail.com> wrote in message
>> news:rdidnatszNA0cGTUnZ2dnUVZ8oCdnZ2d from bt.com...>>>>>> The message is API 20 E is other forms biochemically panneling cannot be
>>> soley relied on to obtain a confident postive identification of a
>>> Salmonella culture.
>>>>>> Hope this helps
>>>>>> Mail me privately if you requirte further assistance
>>>>>> Bets N10
