title: Enteric pathogens and their isolation at a cancer hospital in Pakistan.
abstract: Diarrhoeal diseases remain a major cause of mortality and morbidity in developing countries. However, due to lack of funds, supply problems and some inexperience, some laboratories have difficulty identifying a causative agent in stool samples. In the year following the opening of the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre in Lahore, Pakistan, the microbiology department had not isolated a single enteric pathogen. From January 1996, new culture techniques were introduced, with a resulting increase (10%) in identification of these pathogens. In addition, the introduction of formol-ether concentration made a significant contribution to the number of intestinal parasites seen. This report demonstrates how simple microbiology methods made a difference to the running of the department and, ultimately, to the patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre, Lahore, Pakistan.
authors.forename: A R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Bhatti
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Danish
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wadood
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mortlock
mesh_terms: D003906:Developing Countries; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000382:microbiology*; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology*; D006801:Humans; D008828:Microbiological Techniques; D010154:Pakistan