An upper respiratory specimen contains many indigenous organisms which may be time consuming, cost prohibitive, and insurmountable. What should the microbiologist do?
A) Work quickly with commercially available kits to identify all organisms present in a sputum specimen for the best quality patient care available.
B) Work up only the gram-negative rods present in the culture.
C) Differentiate the potential pathogens from the "usual" inhabitants of the upper respiratory tract and direct the diagnostic workup only to potential pathogens.
D) Be able to ascertain whether the results generated by a commercial or automated system correlate with the suspected organism.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The best option is to differentiate potential pathogens from the "usual" inhabitants of the upper respiratory tract and direct the diagnostic workup only to potential pathogens. This approach is cost-effective, less time-consuming, and provides better patient care as it targets the most likely causative agents of disease. Working quickly with commercially available kits may not necessarily result in accurate identification of all organisms present in a sputum specimen, and working up only the gram-negative rods present in the culture may miss important pathogens. Additionally, it is important to be able to ascertain whether the results generated by a commercial or automated system correlate with the suspected organism, but this alone is not sufficient for a comprehensive diagnostic approach.

An Upper Respiratory Specimen Contains Many Indigenous Organisms Which May