Clinical Microbiology
Dangerous microorganisms are in the news a lot. You’ve
probably heard about the antibiotic resistant “superbugs” like
MRSA and foodborne outbreaks such as E. coli contaminated
produce. Because new microorganisms are being discovered all the
time and they are developing more and more resistance to
antibiotics, there has never been a more exciting time to study
Clinical Microbiology.
Clinical Microbiology is the study of any microbes which can
cause infection in humans. Because the focus is on human
disease, this subject is often studied by the source of the
specimen from the body – particular location, type
of fluid or specific body tissue. Clinical microbiologists have
to be able to tell the difference between normal microorganisms
expected in a specimen and those causing an infectious disease.
Classically, this is done by culturing the material on an
artificial medium in the laboratory and solving the "mystery" of
which bacteria, fungus, virus, or parasite may be the culprit in
an illness. Following culture, the "suspect" organism is further
tested by various manual or automated methods to determine
exactly what species it is and sometimes what antibiotics can be
used to treat it. For example, E.coli are normal
microorganisms in some parts of the body all the time, but when
an outbreak of foodborne illness occurs, the medical lab
scientist may culture the suspected food and perform specific
tests in order to determine if a different, dangerous strain of
the E. coli is responsible.
Traditional microbiological culture is still performed, but a
whole host of new methods have become important tools in
clinical microbiology including rapid molecular testing for slow
growing organisms and genetic analysis testing to study the
epidemiology of a disease outbreak. As we discover
more and more about microorganisms and the threat of
bioterrorism is real and present, there has never been a greater
need for skilled clinical microbiologists.
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