title: The clinical microbiology laboratory and infection control: emerging pathogens, antimicrobial resistance, and new technology.
abstract: The clinical microbiology laboratory is an essential component of an effective infection control program. Laboratory personnel have a broad range of technologies, from traditional methods of detecting and identifying organisms to modern molecular typing methods, that they can use to support and enhance the efforts of the infection control staff. If the infection control team applies these technologies appropriately, it can prevent problems and solve nosocomial mysteries efficiently. In this era of cost-containment, staff members in the laboratory and in the infection control program must work hard to communicate their unique and shared goals, needs, and problems. If the laboratory and infection control personnel cooperate and collaborate rather than compete, both programs will be successful and the patients and the hospital will benefit because the risk of nosocomial infections and the frequency of resistant organisms will be reduced.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, University of Iowa College of Medicine, Iowa City 52242, USA.
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Pfaller
authors.forename: L A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Herwaldt
mesh_terms: D015373:Bacterial Typing Techniques; D002175:Candida / Q000187:drug effects / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D019411:Clinical Laboratory Techniques; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D004352:Drug Resistance, Microbial; D016521:Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field; D006090:Gram-Negative Bacteria / Q000187:drug effects / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D017053:Infection Control; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D008828:Microbiological Techniques; D015341:Nucleic Acid Probes; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length
chemical_list: D015341:Nucleic Acid Probes