Microbiology / Infectious Disease
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.
In this month’s Hot Topic, Robin Patel, M.D., discusses Mayo Clinic Laboratories’ new PCR assay for detection of Helicobacter pylori detection and determination of clarithromycin resistance directly from stool.
Thank you to our staff at Mayo Clinic who step up daily during this time of need to provide access to testing during the global pandemic. We appreciate each one of you and all the sacrifices you personally have made throughout this past year.
Dr. Patel, director of Mayo Clinic's Infectious Diseases Research Laboratory, discussed the future of testing for joint and bone infections.
Nancy Wengenack, Ph.D. gives an overview of this test available through Mayo Clinic Laboratories. She discusses when this testing should be ordered, how this testing compares to other testing approaches, and what clinical action can be taken due to the results of this testing.
In this month’s “Hot Topic,” Elitza Theel, Ph.D., talks about Mayo Clinic Laboratories’ serologic and molecular testing for the identification of infection with dengue virus. Dengue virus poses a significant public health threat worldwide. Rapid and accurate identification of the infection enables directed monitoring of patients who may be at increased risk of developing hemorrhagic fever of dengue shock syndrome.
In this month’s “Hot Topic,” Elitza Theel, Ph.D., will discuss the detection of (1→3)-β-D-glucan (BDG) in serum as a biomarker for the presence of invasive fungal infections.
Antimicrobial susceptibility testing determines whether these bacteria are susceptible or resistant to a particular antibiotic. Bacteria are added onto plates of solid agar, where each plate has a different and increasing concentration of antibiotic than the previous plate. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) is the lowest concentration of an antimicrobial that inhibits growth of the bacteria.
Mayo Clinic Laboratories is one of the few laboratories in the country to offer two special sequencing-based tests for bacteria in its catalog. The first test is designed to help protect patients by investigating potential outbreaks of a single bacterial species or by identifying recurrent infections in an individual patient. The second has the ability to detect DNA of any bacteria to help identify the cause of an infection.
Blacklegged ticks (also known as deer ticks) are turning up more frequently in Minnesota, and so are the diseases they carry. Bobbi Pritt, a parasitologist in the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, weighs in on the issue.
Joseph Yao, M.D., gives an overview of this new test available through Mayo Clinic Laboratories. He discusses when this testing should be ordered, how this testing improves upon other testing approaches, and what clinical action can be taken due to the results of this testing.
In this month’s “Hot Topic,” Elitza Theel, Ph.D., will discuss diagnostic testing options for patients with suspected neuroinvasive Lyme disease or Lyme neuroborreliosis.
In this month’s “Hot Topic,” Elitza Theel, Ph.D. will discuss a new interferon-gamma release assay that can assist in the detection of individuals that are infected with tuberculosis.