Concept Questions - Introduction to Identification Techniques in Medical Microbiology
Take some time to write answers to these questions.
If you can answer them, you have a good grasp of the material!

1. Why do specimens need to be taken aspetically even when nonsterile sites are being sampled and selective media are to be used?

2. Explain the general principles in specimen collection.

3. What is involved in direct specimen testing?
In presumptive and confirmatory tests?
In cultivating and isolating the pathogen?
In biochemical testing?
In gene probes?
Explain which techniques are more sensitive and specific, in general, and why this would be the case.

4. Differentiate between the serological tests used to identify isolated cultures of pathogens and those used to diagnose disease from patients’ serum.

5. Why is it important to prevent microbes from growing in specimens?

6. Why is speed so important in the clinical laboratory?

7. Summarize the important points in determining if a clinical isolate is involved in infection.

Return to Chapter Activities l Online Learning Center