Case reports are epidemiological studies that consist of the careful and thorough or comprehensive description of a patient’s health or disease summary which is usually given by the physician in charge of that patient. It is the most fundamental type of descriptive epidemiological study obtained from an individual in the investigation of a disease outbreak. […]
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Epidemiology
Analytical epidemiological study is a more detailed and all-encompassing epidemiological study than the descriptive epidemiological study. An analytical study describes the association between exposure and outcome (disease). It is meant to test the hypothesis of a descriptive epidemiology. Analytical study investigates the cause of a disease by studying how exposure of individuals relate to the
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Epidemiology
Sputum culture is often recommended in the diagnoses of lower respiratory tract infection (e.g. bacterial pneumonia and pulmonary tuberculosis). Lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs) are infections/diseases that occur below the voice box (larynx) i.e. in the bronchi and trachea. In this case, an induced or expectorated sputum specimen and not saliva is requested and obtained
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Microbe Lab, Techniques in Microbiology Lab
Urine culture is performed in order to specifically identify organisms that may be causing a urinary tract infection (UTI). Urine in the bladder is often sterile as it is free from microorganisms. It becomes inundated with microorganisms (especially those of the normal micro-flora) when it leaves the bladder. UTI is very common in patients that
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Microbe Lab, Techniques in Microbiology Lab
Blood culture is the most important diagnostic method for detecting and diagnosing bacteraemia (presence of bacteria in blood) and fungimia (i.e. presence of pathogenic fungi in blood) in the clinical microbiology laboratory. Blood specimen required for blood culture technique should be collected from the patient prior to antibiotic therapy in order to increase the sensitivity
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Microbe Lab, Techniques in Microbiology Lab
Stool culture is demanded in the bacteriology laboratory as method for detecting and diagnosing enteric bacterial infections (i.e. infections caused by pathogens in the Enterobacteriaceae family e.g. Salmonella species and Shigella species) that lead to enteric fever, diarrhea and dysentery. Stool culture can also be requested when patients present with other gastrointestinal infections such as
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Microbe Lab, Bacteriology, Techniques in Microbiology Lab
The laboratory diagnosis of fungal infection is mainly based on microscopy and cultural techniques. Several culture media exist for the selective isolation of pathogenic fungi from clinically important specimens. The choice of culture media to be used is largely dependent on the type of mycoses and the category of samples to be analyzed amongst other
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Microbe Lab, Techniques in Microbiology Lab
Mycotoxins are exotoxins produced by fungi. The area of microbiology that studies fungi and the toxins they produce (i.e. mycotoxins) is known as mycotoxicology. The disease condition provoked by the intake of mycotoxins in human or animal hosts is generally known as mycotoxicoses. Mycotoxins are pharmacologically active secondary metabolites produced by toxin-producing fungi in food,
Oral thrush (oral candidiasis) is a localized fungal infection caused by C. albicans in the oral cavity of humans such as the tongue, lips and gums. Oral thrush is a fungal infection of the mouth; and thrush or oral thrush is an infection of the mouth caused by the Candida fungus which is a yeast
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Mycology
Generally, parasites can be classified into two major groups: Endoparasites are parasites that live inside the body of their hosts inclusive of animals and humans. They are known as internal parasites. Endoparasites are found in blood, tissues, gastrointestinal tract or digestive system and in the internal body organs of their hosts. They remain inside the
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Public Health & Parasitic Diseases (Parasitology)