Lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs) are among the most frequently encountered and difficult to diagnose infectious syndromes. Symptoms of most LRTIs overlap with other clinical conditions, such as congestive heart failure and obstructive lung disease, such asthma and chronic obstructive…
Infections of the ear, nose, and throat (ENT) run the gamut from annoying but relatively harmless otitis externa to life-threatening infections of the airway. Despite the broad array of syndromes, most of these share a common set of pathogens and…
Overview Generalized rashes with fever are among the most frequent conditions seen by primary care physicians, and are a common reason for patient visits to the emergency department and dermatologists. The majority of cases do not represent an immediate danger,…
Introduction Fever is a common complaint encountered by primary caregivers, internists, and surgeons. We all experience fever throughout our lives, and although frequently the cause of fever is never explained, few of us experience a true “classic” fever of unknown…
Introduction The serendipitous discovery of penicillin by Sir Alexander Fleming in 1928 was one of the greatest medical advances of the 20th century and marks the beginning of the antibiotic era. The term antibiotic originated with Selman Waksman in 1941,…
Introduction Antimicrobials differ intrinsically from other drugs. Antimicrobials do not aim to affect biologic processes in the patient, but instead inhibit or kill invading pathogens and commensal microorganisms. The properties of these microorganisms are crucial when choosing an antimicrobial regimen,…
Introduction to Microorganisms That Interact with Humans In this section, we will introduce the main categories of organisms that interact with humans both as part of the human microbiome and those that are able to cause disease. Some organisms are…
Introduction The clinical microbiology laboratory offers an increasingly diverse menu of diagnostic assays, including maintenance of traditional methods first developed in the early 1900s, to implementing increasingly complex molecular assays and, most recently, implementing whole-genome and next-generation sequencing assays for…
Infections are disorders or diseases caused by microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, or parasites. Infections manifest themselves by a myriad of signs and symptoms in a variety of combinations. It is not possible to discuss in a meaningful way…