ABSTRACT
A RECENT REPORT FROM THE World Health Organization (WHO) highlights bacterial infection as the major killers of children and young adults globally. As expected, bacterial infections cause significant morbidity and mortality in the immunocompromised and the elderly patient populations. The selection of appropriate clinical samples for diagnosis, their appropriate handling in the microbiology laboratory and the interpretation of results are discussed under pre-analytical, analytical and post-analytical phases. Specimen collection, specimen transport and appropriateness of specimens for microbiological workup are described in a succinct numbered format. The common causes of infections of various organ systems are presented in a table form for ease of use in formulating approach to presumptive antimicrobial therapy. An overview of in-vitro antimicrobial susceptibility testing is provided in Chapter 10. The significance of preliminary reports made available to the clinicians is emphasized along with the need for interim reporting of negative results as tools for therapeutic interventions and antimicrobial stewardship.
