“Anatomic pathologists play a huge role in the diagnosis of infectious diseases,” says Bobbi Pritt, M.D., in a recent interview with CAP Today. “In fact, even before they sit down at the scope . . . they can greatly affect the care of a patient by identifying features that suggest the presence of an infectious entity and direct the collection of specimens for microbiology cultures.”
Dr. Pritt is Director of Mayo Clinic’s Clinical Parasitology Laboratory and Co-Director of the Vector-Borne Diseases Laboratory within the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology (DLMP). She is also the editor of a new infectious disease guide, entitled, Atlas of Fundamental Infectious Diseases Histopathology: A Guide for Daily Practice.
According to CAP Today, the atlas covers “bacterial, viral, fungal, and parasitic infections and contains more than 800 images.” There are four other contributors (along with Dr. Pritt): Blaine Mathison, M(ASCP); Dan Milner, M.D.; Gary Procop, M.D.; and Audrey Schuetz, M.D., Senior Associate Consultant in the Division of Clinical Microbiology in DLMP.
“This is a major accomplishment,” says William Morice, II, M.D., Ph.D., Chair of DLMP and President of Mayo Medical Laboratories. “The identifications of pathogens in biopsy specimens is challenging for pathologists and hugely important for patients. Congratulations to Drs. Pritt and Schuetz and the other authors of this important text.”
Dr. Pritt adds, “We set out to create a book that is kept close by and referenced frequently. Rather than an elaborate treatise on all aspects of microorganisms, it serves as a practical guide for routine anatomic pathology signout.”
For more information about the atlas, read the CAP Today article.