Microbiology / Infectious Disease

In this month's "Hot Topic," Elitza Theel, Ph.D., will be discussing laboratory utilization management, specifically for diagnostic testing for tick-borne diseases.

In this month’s “Hot Topic,” Nancy Wengenack, Ph.D., discusses susceptibility testing of yeast for those who are considering performing it in their laboratory, perhaps for the first time, or for those who choose to send their yeast isolates out to a reference laboratory for susceptibility testing but who want to understand how the reference laboratory generates the data that comes back on reports.

This week on the podcast, Brad Karon, M.D., Ph.D., chair of Mayo Clinic’s Division of Clinical Core Laboratory Services, joins "Answers From the Lab" with Bobbi Pritt, M.D. and William Morice II, M.D., Ph.D. This episode focuses on at-home testing for COVID-19, including the types of tests that are available, when they should be used, and how well they work.

With the omicron variant grabbing headlines around the world, media outlets have turned to experts like Dr. Binnicker to help clarify the effect this new variant could have and what it might mean for the COVID-19 pandemic.

Audrey Schuetz, M.D., discusses Mayo Clinic Laboratories' PCR assay that identifies two recently described staphylococcus species. The assay is unique in its ability to distinguish the new organisms from Staphylococcus aureus, providing clearer results that ultimately improve patient care.

With a spike in cases spurred by the delta virus, demand for COVID-19 testing is on the rise again, and several at-home tests that have been approved for emergency use authorization are becoming more popular. But should you rely on a test that you administer yourself to tell you whether you have COVID-19? Dr. Matthew Binnicker explains the pros and cons of at-home tests.

This "Pathways" program provides a Clinical Pathology case that includes a history, potential answers, rationale, and relevant references. This case sub-specialty is Clinical Microbiology.

In the wake of the CDC withdrawing its emergency use authorization request for a coronavirus PCR test, social media posts claimed the action signaled that the tests were flawed. Dr. Matthew Binnicker explains why those claims are false.

Matthew Binnicker, Ph.D., director of the Clinical Virology Laboratory in Mayo Clinic’s Division of Clinical Microbiology, considers the prospects for COVID-19 this fall as the traditional influenza season ramps up.

Elitza Theel, Ph.D., director of Mayo Clinic’s Infectious Disease Serology Lab was featured in a discussion on NBC News about COVID-19 antibody tests.

Bobbi Pritt, M.D., discusses how Mayo Clinic Labs’ updated PCR assay for West Nile virus provides increased sensitivity to detect virus RNA in multiple sources, identifies two virus lineages, and confirms diagnosis.

Mayo Clinic Laboratories now offers a noninvasive approach for the molecular detection of H. pylori, with results that include prediction of clarithromycin resistance delivered within 24 hours.

This "Pathways" program provides an Anatomic Pathology case that includes a history, potential answers, rationale, and relevant references. This case sub-specialty is Genitourinary Pathology.