PRINCIPLES FOR OPTIMIZING CLINICAL AND LABORATORY DIAGNOSTICS OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES

Abstract

A bacterium, virus, fungus, protozoan, or helminth found in a patient with a suitable clinical condition is used to diagnosis infectious disorders. The detection techniques include isolating viruses in cell culture, growing bacteria and fungus on growth media, and identifying the agent biochemically, antigenically, or genetically. Additionally, a particular immune response—typically antibodies—that arises during the course of sickness can be used to identify infectious disorders. When an agent is seen in infected tissue, a diagnosis can be made based on certain morphological traits or the type of organism, such as gram-positive or gram-negative bacteria or viruses (e.g., eosinophilic cytoplasmic inclusion bodies in neurons in rabies virus infection).