Chapter 8: Isolation and Identification of Bacterial Pathogens After completing this Chapter, students should be able to: . explain how to isolate and identify bacterial pathogens using growth and growth-independent methods. • relate the methods of growing bacteria to how bacterial pathogens are tested for antibiotic sensitivity. 1
Chapter 8: Isolation and Identification of Bacterial Pathogens There are several reasons that a medical team may want or need to identify a bacterial pathogen. Treatment for infection often starts before the pathogen has been identified. For example: - initiate appropriate treatment (or revise current treatment) as soon as results are in - decreasing the severity and length of disease, - suggest most suitable antibiotic to use, - identify public health strategies to prevent new cases of infection (i.e., vaccinations), - identify and prevent spread of infection within the hospital or other health care facility or other public space. 2
Chapter 8: Isolation and Identification of Bacterial Pathogens Need to obtain sample from infection site (pus, blood, urine, csf). Sample must be preserved during transport to lab (i.e., kept in an anoxic - O2- free - environment). How does this container keep the sample in an anoxic environment? STERILE NAME DATE Must have a method to analyze sample. Growth dependent - historically done, but waiting for bacteria to grow so that colonies can be studied and Gram stains performed can take some time. Growth independent - microscopy, look at DNA sequences, reactions with antibodies, etc. 3 http://www.alibaba.com/product-gs/281958891/Transport_swab_with_media/showimage.html