Statements in which the resource exists as a subject.
PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
3
pubmed:dateCreated
1998-5-21
pubmed:abstractText
The appropriate use of the clinical microbiology laboratory for diagnosing lower respiratory tract infections is controversial. As in clinical care, it is crucial to categorize the presenting illness properly as acute bronchitis, an acute exacerbation of chronic bronchitis, community-acquired pneumonia, or nosocomial pneumonia if diagnostic efforts to establish a microbial etiology are to be productive for the individual patient and affordable to society. The greatest potential benefit of microbiological investigations lies in the etiologic diagnosis of pneumonia. For community-acquired pneumonia, evaluation of a gram-stained smear of sputum in terms of both quality and microorganisms present can help guide initial therapy as well as aid interpretation of subsequent culture results. As discussed in this review, the role of the clinical microbiology laboratory in the etiologic diagnosis of nosocomial and complicated pneumonias is more extensive and, in addition to evaluation of respiratory secretions, may include cultures of blood, pleural fluid, and specimens obtained by bronchoscopy. However, a prerequisite for the use of all currently available tests is their deployment for patients with clinical and radiographic evidence of pneumonia.
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
IM
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:month
Mar
pubmed:issn
1058-4838
pubmed:author
pubmed:issnType
Print
pubmed:volume
26
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
742-8
pubmed:dateRevised
2004-11-17
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed:year
1998
pubmed:articleTitle
Role of the microbiology laboratory in the diagnosis of lower respiratory tract infections.
pubmed:affiliation
Department of Medicine (Division of Infectious Diseases), University of Utah Health Sciences Center, Salt Lake City, USA.
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article