CAP Pro Course - Microbiology - Microbiology of the Gastrointestinal Tract (2025 & 2026)

Continuing Education Credits

• P.A.C.E.® Contact Hours: 1 hour(s)
• Florida Board of Clinical Laboratory Science CE Credit Hours -
  General (Microbiology/Mycology/Parasitology): 1 hour(s)

Objectives

• Identify clinical pathogens associated with common gastrointestinal tract infections.
• Compare and contrast various methods of specimen collection, specimen transport, and specimen storage for gastrointestinal pathogen testing.
• Outline common clinical testing methods used to identify gastrointestinal pathogens.
• Analyze communication tools used for reporting results of gastrointestinal pathogen testing and their effectiveness in preventing the spread of identified gastrointestinal pathogens.

Course Outline

• Identify clinical pathogens associated with common gastrointestinal tract infections.
• Common Causes of GI Tract Infections: General Information
• Common GI Pathogens: Sources of Infection, Incubation Periods, Symptoms, and Treatment
• Dominant Pathogens Associated with Specific GI Tract Anatomical Sites
• You are training a new employee in the microbiology department, and she asks for more information on the clinical symptoms associated with Salmonella ...
• A patient presents to the emergency department with symptoms indicative of a lower GI tract infection, including fever, malaise, vomiting, and diarrhe...
• Common enteric pathogens, including Salmonella and Shigella, are likely to be isolated from which one of the following GI tract sites?
• Which symptom is most generally associated with all of the common GI pathogens?
• Compare and contrast various methods of specimen collection, specimen transport, and specimen storage for gastrointestinal pathogen testing.
• Specimen Collection, Transport, Storage, and Volume Requirements
• Stool Specimen Guide
• Specimen Processing
• For which of the following requests might a rectal swab be acceptable?
• A 60-year-old man presents to his physician's office complaining of abdominal pain and diarrhea that began about 16 hours ago. The physician suspects ...
• Mariah, a medical laboratory scientist (MLS) in the microbiology department, receives a call from an emergency department (ED) physician requesting gu...
• When instructed to do so by the laboratory, stool specimens submitted for viral culture testing should be transported in which one of the following?
• In general for a specific test request, such as a stool culture or ova and parasites (O&P) examination, how many stool samples should be accepted ...
• Outline common clinical testing methods used to identify gastrointestinal pathogens.
• Quick Reference Guide to Identification of Common Pathogens
• Standard Culture Methods of Identification: Aeromonas and Plesiomonas
• Standard Culture Methods for Identification: Campylobacter
• Standard Culture Methods for Identification: E. coli O157:H7 and Clostridioides difficile
• Standard Culture Methods for Identification: Salmonella and Shigella
• Standard Culture Methods for Identification: Yersinia and Vibrio
• Standard Identification Methods: Intoxication (Staphylococcus aureus, Clostridium botulinum, and Bacillus cereus)
• Standard Methods for Identification: Parasites and Viruses
• Non-Culture Testing Methods for Gastrointestinal (GI) Pathogens
• Which media is enhanced specifically for the recovery of Yersinia enterocolitica from a patient with gastroenteritis?
• What diagnostic laboratory assay is considered the "gold standard" for the identification of GI-associated disorders when a suspected organism is unkn...
• You receive a stool sample from a public health department laboratory employee who is experiencing severe abdominal pain and diarrhea that has led to ...
• A 67-year-old female patient has been in the hospital for the last week due to sepsis from an untreated urinary tract infection (UTI) caused by Escher...
• Abdominal pain, fever, vomiting, and nausea prompted an elderly male to seek medical attention. A watery stool specimen producing no fecal leukocytes ...
• Four blood cultures were taken over a 24-hour period from a 20-year-old woman with severe diarrhea. The cultures were flagged as positive by the autom...
• Analyze communication tools used for reporting results of gastrointestinal pathogen testing and their effectiveness in preventing the spread of identified gastrointestinal pathogens.
• Preliminary versus Final Result Reporting and Expected Turnaround Times
• Reports: Hospital Infection Control and Public Health Agencies
• Public health agencies are responsible for monitoring cases of notifiable diseases to ensure public safety. Your microbiology laboratory is performing...
• While updating the reporting methods in your laboratory information system (LIS), you determine that due to the current reporting practice, physicians...
• A physician calls to inquire about how long the results from the routine stool culture will take on their patient. You tell them that in your laborato...
• References
• References

Additional Information