Ellen Jo Baron, J Michael Miller, Melvin P Weinstein, Sandra S Richter, Peter H Gilligan, Richard B Thomson, Paul Bourbeau, Karen C Carroll, Sue C Kehl, W Michael Dunne, Barbara Robinson-Dunn, Joseph D Schwartzman, Kimberle C Chapin, James W Snyder, Betty A Forbes, Robin Patel, Jon E Rosenblatt, Bobbi S Pritt
The critical role of the microbiology laboratory in infectious disease diagnosis calls for a close, positive working relationship between the physician and the microbiologists who provide enormous value to the health care team. This document, developed by both laboratory and clinical experts, provides information on which tests are valuable and in which contexts, and on tests that add little or no value for diagnostic decisions. Sections are divided into anatomic systems, including Bloodstream Infections and Infections of the Cardiovascular System, Central Nervous System Infections, Ocular Infections, Soft Tissue Infections of the Head and Neck, Upper Respiratory Infections, Lower Respiratory Tract infections, Infections of the Gastrointestinal Tract, Intraabdominal Infections, Bone and Joint Infections, Urinary Tract Infections, Genital Infections, and Skin and Soft Tissue Infections; or into etiologic agent groups, including Tickborne Infections, Viral Syndromes, and Blood and Tissue Parasite Infections...
August 2013: Clinical Infectious Diseases