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…
Acknowledgment Substantial material from Jane L. Burns’ chapter in the previous edition has been used. The genus Burkholderia was proposed in 1992 for 7 species that previously were included in Pseudomonas homology group II. All are animal or plant pathogens…
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…
Microbiology Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a gram-negative bacillus found widely in nature, soil, and water. Classified as an opportunistic pathogen, P. aeruginosa causes disease infrequently in normal hosts but is a major cause of infection in patients with underlying or immunocompromising…
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Microbiology Discovered at the end of the 19th century, Moraxella catarrhalis (formerly Micrococcus catarrhalis , Neisseria catarrhalis, and Branhamella catarrhalis ) has undergone several changes of nomenclature and changes in status as either a commensal of the upper respiratory tract…
Microbiology Eikenella, Pasteurella, and Chromobacterium species display both common and contrasting characteristics of laboratory properties, epidemiology, and clinical presentations. Eikenella and Pasteurella spp. are nonmotile, whereas C. violaceum is motile and less fastidious than the others. E. corrodens was the…
Acknowledgment The authors would like to thank Dr. Michael Brady for contributions to this chapter in past editions. Microbiology and Epidemiology Several genera of nonglucose-fermenting gram-negative bacilli are infrequent opportunistic human pathogens. Most are nonfastidious, aerobic, catalase-positive organisms; motility, oxidase…