CAP Pro Course - Microbiology - Urine and Body Fluid Cultures

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Author: Hallee Waye, BS, MLS (ASCP)CM
Reviewer: Alexandru Casapu, MBA, MLS(ASCP)CM, PBTCM

Continuing Education Credits

Objectives

  • Identify appropriate specimen types, including what constitutes inadequate or unacceptable specimens, and list proper transport media and conditions necessary for urine and body fluid cultures.
  • Select proper media for plating urine and body fluid specimens, dependent upon the culture site, utilizing aseptic techniques.
  • Identify the source and incidence of the most frequently isolated pathogens from urine and body fluid cultures, including infectious organisms, fungi, mycobacteria, and viruses.
  • Determine the extent of workup required for the most frequently isolated pathogens from urine and body fluid cultures.
  • Describe the Gram stain morphology, required identification procedures, and antimicrobial susceptibility testing as appropriate for the most frequently isolated pathogens from urine and body fluid cultures.
  • Discuss the need for preliminary, interim (daily), and final result reporting in a timely manner appropriate to the site and pathogen isolated from urine and body fluid cultures.

Course Outline

  • Identify appropriate specimen types, including what constitutes inadequate or unacceptable specimens, and list proper transport media and conditions necessary for urine and body fluid cultures.
      • Defining Body Fluids and Related Terminology for Laboratory Submission
      • General Specimen Collection Criteria for Body Fluid and Urine Cultures
      • Appropriate Collection Criteria By Site
      • Appropriate Collection Criteria By Site, continued
      • Specific Rejection Criteria by Site
      • Transport Media and Transport Methods for Sterile Body Fluids and Urine
      • A specimen is received in the laboratory labeled as ascites fluid. The requisition that accompanied the specimen indicates a request for bacterial cul...
      • Which of the following represents an appropriate specimen for the recovery of pathogenic organisms?
      • A pleural fluid may also be referred to as which of the following?
      • Which of the following is not an appropriate cause for rejection of the specimen?
  • Select proper media for plating urine and body fluid specimens, dependent upon the culture site, utilizing aseptic techniques.
      • Proper Media for Plating Specimens: Abdominal Fluid
      • Proper Media for Plating Specimens: Cerebrospinal Fluid and Pleural Fluid
      • Proper Media for Plating Specimens: Synovial Fluid and Urine
      • Proper Media for Plating Specimens: Pericardial Effusions
      • Which of the following culture media should be included for an aerobic culture request on a paracentesis fluid specimen?
      • When investigating a case of pericarditis, the physician should first rule out which of the following as it is the most common cause?
      • Five mL of abdominal fluid is received for aerobic, anaerobic, mycobacterial, and fungal cultures. Typically, body fluids received with large volumes ...
  • Identify the source and incidence of the most frequently isolated pathogens from urine and body fluid cultures, including infectious organisms, fungi, mycobacteria, and viruses.
      • Common Pathogens: Abdominal Fluid
      • Common Pathogens: Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF)
      • Common Pathogens: Pleural Fluid and Pericardial Fluid
      • Common Pathogens: Synovial Fluid
      • Common Pathogens: Urine
      • What is the most common cause of community-acquired meningitis in any age group?
      • Which cause of acute cystitis is a gram-positive organism?
      • Which of the following Mycobacterium is known to be a pathogen in pericardial fluid?
      • When working with a culture from a patient with primary bacterial peritonitis, one colony type is growing on all aerobic media (a blood agar plate, a ...
      • Bacterial pathogens that cause acute cystitis, complicated urinary tract infections and pyelonephritis are most commonly identified using a urine cult...
      • Many organisms are known to be pathogens in pleural fluid specimens, including bacteria, mycobacteria, fungi, and viruses. The image to the right is c...
  • Determine the extent of workup required for the most frequently isolated pathogens from urine and body fluid cultures.
      • Guidelines for Determination of Significant Organisms in a Urinary Tract Infection (UTI)
      • Extent of Workup for Abdominal Fluid, Cerebrospinal Fluid, Pericardial Fluid, and Pleural Fluid
      • Significance of Isolates in Synovial Fluid
      • Isolated organisms of any quantity should be identified, and antimicrobial sensitivity testing should be performed on all of the following specimens, ...
      • In cases of chronic osteomyelitis, it is important to culture more than one sample of which of the following to increase the reliability of the cultur...
      • While examining a midstream clean-catch urine culture after 24 hours of incubation, you note two different colony types, each with greater than 10,000...
  • Describe the Gram stain morphology, required identification procedures, and antimicrobial susceptibility testing as appropriate for the most frequently isolated pathogens from urine and body fluid cultures.
      • Characteristics of Selected Aerobic, Gram-Positive Bacterial Pathogens in Sterile Body Fluids and Urine
      • Characteristics of Selected Aerobic, Gram-Negative Bacterial Pathogens in Sterile Body Fluids and Urine
      • Characteristics of Selected Anaerobic Bacterial Pathogens in Sterile Body Fluids and Urine
      • Characteristics of Selected Fungi in Sterile Body Fluids and Urine
      • Which organism, described as a catalase-positive, coagulase-positive, gram-positive cocci, is considered a pathogen when isolated from any sterile bod...
      • Which of the following organisms is not usually isolated from urine, ascites, or pericardial fluid?
      • A urine culture exhibits small colonies after 48 hours of incubation. On Gram stain, budding yeast cells are observed without any pseudohyphae. A germ...
      • The image to the right is representative of the direct Gram stain from a pleural fluid. After 24 hours of incubation, the organism exhibits mucoid alp...
  • Discuss the need for preliminary, interim (daily), and final result reporting in a timely manner appropriate to the site and pathogen isolated from urine and body fluid cultures.
      • Preliminary, Interim (Daily), and Final Result Reporting for Sterile Body Fluids
      • Preliminary, Interim (Daily), and Final Result Reporting for Urine Cultures
      • Gram stains should be performed on all of the following fluids, except?
      • When should preliminary results first be reported to care providers on sterile body fluid cultures?
  • References
      • References

Additional Information

Level of Instruction: Intermediate
Intended Audience: This program is designed as an educational and training tool for MLS, MT, and MLT personnel, medical laboratory science students and interns, pathology residents, and practicing pathologists.
Author Information: Hallee Waye, BS, MLS (ASCP)CM, has over 10 years of experience as a medical laboratory scientist. She has clinical experience in blood bank, microbiology, chemistry, hematology, urinalysis, and coagulation. She currently works as a clinical microbiologist and MLS Program Director for the Parkview School of Medical Laboratory Science in Pueblo, CO. She obtained her bachelor’s degree in microbiology from Colorado State University, attended the Colorado Center for Medical Laboratory Science to obtain her professional certificate in medical laboratory science, and completed her master’s degree in clinical laboratory science at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley.
Reviewer Information: Alexandru Casapu, MBA, MLS(ASCP)CM, PBTCM, has over 20 years of experience as a medical laboratory scientist, section supervisor, and laboratory manager. He is the former Director of Clinical Laboratory Technology Program at Georgia Piedmont Technical College. He is currently a Program Director at MediaLab, Inc. Alex holds BS degrees in Biology and Medical Technology from Clark Atlanta University and an MBA from the University of Georgia.

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