Parasites are usually macroscopic organisms of various genera that infect man, animals and plants, However, our interest in this chapter is on human parasites. The process of examination of clinical specimens for parasites begins with parasite specimen collection. Again, two types of specimens are generally examined. These are fresh specimens and preserved specimens. FRESH SPECIMEN … Read more
The first essential thing for good microbiological diagnosis is that the specimens reaching the laboratory should be well chosen and of good quality. A specimen that is poorly taken, badly contaminated or unrepresentative of the infected lesion cannot provide accurate information about the pathogens present no matter how advanced the methods applied to its na … Read more
Alexander Fleming’s discovery of Penicillin in 1929 began a new era of antibiotic chemotherapy. In the 1940’s industrial production of penicillin started. Many antibiotics are currently available in the market and many more will still be discovered. Whether for a synthetic chemical or an antibiotic, the trial and error procedure involves testing for antimicrobial activity … Read more
The development of microorganism on culture media is dependent upon a number of very important factors. 1. The proper nutrients must be available 2. Oxygen or gases must be available as required 3. A certain degree of moisture is necessary 4. The medium must be of the proper reaction 5. Proper temperature relations must prevail … Read more
Serology is the study of serum (singular) or sera (plural). Serum, the fluid obtained when blood clots are removed contains antigens and antibodies. Serology may be used in detection, identification and classification of microorganism. The reactions in vitro between antigens and antibodies (antisera) form the basis of serological tests (techniques). A range of methods are … Read more
The tests described in this Section are of general usefulness in the characterization and identification of bacteria, Some organisms require the use of an isolation medium specially adapted to particular nutritional or osmotic requirements. In other cases, a selective medium maybe employed which not only allows the isolation of the organisms under investigation but also … Read more