Archive Bacterial DNA Testing Here are some insights from an interesting article published in the Journal of Clinical Microbiology. Journal of Clinical Microbiology, August 1998, p. 2169-2172, Vol.
Speed is the essence when one deals with bacterial infections.
The lack of a timely response by the laboratory has consequences on antibiotic usage and prescription. Patients must be treated empirically. When severe or nosocomial infections are suspected, they are often treated with broad-spectrum antibiotics. The increased use of broad-spectrum antibiotics is not restricted to hospitalized patients in intensive care units or patients seen in emergency rooms, however. Moreover, microbiologic results are available so slowly that physicians rarely consult them unless the patient is not responding to the given antibiotic.