Infectious Disease

In this episode of “Answers From the Lab,” host Bobbi Pritt, M.D., chair of the Division of Clinical Microbiology at Mayo Clinic, is joined by William Morice II, M.D., Ph.D., CEO and president of Mayo Clinic Laboratories. They discuss current events including dengue outbreaks, new colon cancer screening technology, and insurance coverage of innovative lab tests.

Director of Mayo Clinic’s Infectious Diseases Serology Laboratory, Elitza Theel, Ph.D., joins a discussion about COVID-19 antibody testing in a recent story on NPR.

A small but in-depth study conducted a postmortem evaluation of the heart tissue of 15 patients with COVID-19, including the first postmortem cardiac findings of three patients who had cleared the virus.

Joshua Bornhorst, Ph.D., associate director of Mayo Clinic's Clinical Immunoassay Lab, explains how humans can develop an allergy to the alpha-gal molecule, and he describes a new allergen antibody test that can be used to detect it. Dr. Bornhorst also reviews other tests that should be used in conjunction with alpha-gal testing to accurately identify the scope and underlying cause of the allergy.

Matthew Binnicker, Ph.D., Director of the Clinical Virology Laboratory in the Division of Clinical Microbiology at Mayo Clinic, recently spoke with Consultant360 regarding testing for viral gastroenteritis.

Cytomegalovirus, or CMV, is a common cause of disease in the transplant population. In some patients who are diagnosed with CMV and are on antiviral treatment for infections, the virus may develop resistance to the drugs. This “Hot Topic” will provide an overview of a new test developed by Mayo Clinic Laboratories, which uses next-generation sequencing technology to identify mutations in the genome of CMV that may be associated with antiviral resistance.

In this month’s “Hot Topic,” Robin Patel, M.D., will discuss the bacteria that cause pertussis, also known as whooping cough. Pertussis is highly contagious and spreads rapidly through families, schools, and hospitals. While adults and children may have relatively mild symptoms, the disease can be deadly for infants and newborns.

An algorithm is a step-by-step procedure to guide clinicians and laboratorians in appropriate laboratory test ordering.

The new Gastrointestinal Pathogen Panel, PCR, Feces test is now available to the Mayo Clinic practice and Mayo Medical Laboratories clients.