{"title":"A scheme for identification of nonfermentative gram-negative bacteria.","authors":"M Shayegani, A M Lee, L M Parsons","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>A scheme was designed to speed the identification of 50 nonfermentative gram-negative bacteria to genus, species, and biotype using a minimal numer of biochemical tests. When the scheme was evaluated in our laboratory, one technologist identified 93.6% of 188 known isolates (46 species). Later another technologist, given 161 of the same isolates (46 species) as unknowns, identified 91.9%. The isolates that were misidentified in both cases were atypical organisms with aberrant biochemical reactions, plus 1 typical organism with a delayed oxidation of glucose.</p>","PeriodicalId":12869,"journal":{"name":"Health laboratory science","volume":"14 2","pages":"83-94"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1977-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"11535680","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"An analysis of cost studies performed in public health laboratories.","authors":"G R Elwell, H L Lawton, C R Duncan","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>From 1973 to 1976, 23 public health laboratories performed cost accounting studies with the assistance of the Laboratory Management Consultation Office, Center for Disease Control. Cose data obtained in 16 of these laboratories were used as the basis of a discussion on the identification of indirect expenses and the method of reapportioning these costs to the diagnostic testing sections of the laboratories. Calculations of cost-per-weighted units and cost-per-test of some laboratory diagnostic sections are presented. A laboratory administrator can gain some insight into the effectiveness of resource utilization within his own laboratory by identifying cost center expenditures and considering differences in cost-per-weighted unit among the various revenue-producing sections. With the currently available data, no significant relationship between indirect costs and overall laboratory cost-per-weighted unit was demonstrated. It is hoped that additional data can be gathered and other indices developed which will help laboratory management to more precisely identify and then control indirect costs.</p>","PeriodicalId":12869,"journal":{"name":"Health laboratory science","volume":"14 2","pages":"140-4"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1977-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"12055186","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Radioimmunoassay of urinary free cortisol.","authors":"R L Sokoloff, R L Hilderbrand","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The radioimmunoassay for urinary free cortisol described in this paper is simple, rapid, and reproducible. The method uses a commercially available antibody preparation and is performed in two steps. The first step includes an extraction and a column purification to remove materials antigenically similar to cortisol from the urine. The second step is the radioimmunoassay using dextran-coated charcoal to separate bound and unbound cortisol. 3H-cortisol is added prior to any mechanical manipulation to allow calculation of analytical recovery for the purification procedure. The coefficient of variation for interassay determinations was a maximum of 10.3% and for intraassay determinations a maximum of 5.7%. Analytical recovery averaged 97.7%. One technician can analyze 100 samples per week.</p>","PeriodicalId":12869,"journal":{"name":"Health laboratory science","volume":"14 2","pages":"133-9"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1977-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"11761582","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The effect of Candida albicans on the isolation of N. gonorrhoeae.","authors":"J S Ortiz, W E Barbeau, D Leonard","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Recently, several studies have reported that strains of Candida albicans and perhaps other noraml bacterial flora are capable of inhibiting the growth of Neisseria gonorrhoeae in vitro, and it is possible that this may occur in vivo as well. This possible antagonism between N. gonorrhoeae and normal flora microorganisms poses many questions regarding the reliable laboratory diagnosis of gonorrhea. Mixed cultures of C. albicans and N. gonorrhoeae were grown together on GC base agar plates with varying concentrations of nystatin. Recovery of N. gonorrhoeae was improved as nystatin concentration was increased to 25 IU/ml, while growth of C. albicans was effectively inhibited. At concentrations of 50 and 100 IU/ml nystatin also began to inhibit N. gonorrhoeae. There was a noticeable decrease of nystatin bioactivity against C. albicans when the GC plates were stored at 4 C, thus making it more difficult to isolate N. gonorrhoeae. Growth curves of C. albicans and N. gonorrhoeae grown together in liquid medium did not significantly differ from growth curves of the individual organisms. Statistical analysis of our findings does not support the theory that strains of C. albicans produce a soluble diffusible factor that is inhibitory to N. gonorrhoeae.</p>","PeriodicalId":12869,"journal":{"name":"Health laboratory science","volume":"14 2","pages":"95-101"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1977-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"11610408","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Pigment analysis in the identification of \"Flavobacteria\".","authors":"J R Cohen, R C Fuller, W Litsky","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Spectral properties of the intracellular pigments of flavpbacteroa were studied by \"scanning\" ultrasonic preparations, methanol extracts, MF preparations, slide cultures and whole cell suspensions. No genus-specific Amax were demonstrated with methanol extracts. In situ analyses of pigment, using ultrasonic preparations or whole cell suspensions, demonstrated that all strains of Flavobacterium spp. surveyed showed a discrete Amax between 418 and 421 nm. This peak was absent from scans of other yellow gram negative rods\". Amplitude of Amax was accentuated by variation in incubation parameters. Good resolution was obtained by repositioning cuvettes in \"conventional\" spectrophotometers and attaching opal glass plates to the \"detector suface\" of cuvettes. The presence of a genus-specific Flavobacterium pigment, or pigment fraction, detected through in situ analysis, adds another feature to keys or schema used for characterization and identification of the organisms comprising this presently ill-defined taxon.</p>","PeriodicalId":12869,"journal":{"name":"Health laboratory science","volume":"14 2","pages":"107-16"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1977-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"12055183","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The effect of oxidase positive bacteria on total coliform density estimates.","authors":"L Lupo, E Strickland, A Dufour, V Cabelli","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The most probable number method for enumerating coliforms was shown to give a false estimate of the coliform density. The inflated estimates were due to lactose positive, non-coliform bacteria whose presence was detected by an oxidase test. Thirty-six percent of all the samples examined contained oxidase positive bacteria that were able to produce gas from lactose. Their presence resulted in coliform density overestimates which ranged from 2 to 33 times the true value. The frequency of occurrence of inaccurate estimates was shown to be affected by water temperature but unrelated to environmental source.</p>","PeriodicalId":12869,"journal":{"name":"Health laboratory science","volume":"14 2","pages":"117-21"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1977-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"11535679","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Filter paper-disc method for the determination of zinc protoporphyrin in blood.","authors":"M M Joselow, J Flores","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Zinc protoporphyrin, an abnormal metabolite resulting from undue lead absorption, can be quantitatively determined in blood that has been spotted and dried on filter paper. This procedure, which yields values that correlate well (r = 0.96) with those obtained by direct determination in whole blood, offers advantages in convenience of collection, storage, and transportation that recommend it for field use. The light sensitivity of the zinc protoporphyrin, however, mandates that the specimens be protected from excessive light exposure until analyzed.</p>","PeriodicalId":12869,"journal":{"name":"Health laboratory science","volume":"14 2","pages":"129-32"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1977-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"12055185","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Comparison of zinc protoporphyrin and free erythrocyte protoporphyrin in whole blood.","authors":"M M Joselow, J Flores","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The recent change in emphasis from blood lead to erythrocyte protoporphyrin as the primary diagnostic test for screening for childhood lead poisoning has made it desirable to develop the quantitative relationship between the two protoporphyrins, free erythrocyte protoporphyrin (FEP) and zinc protoporphyrin (ZP), that are now widely used for screening purposes. ZP was found to be equal to 1.4 EP, thus permitting the measurement of either parameter, and its conversion to the other.</p>","PeriodicalId":12869,"journal":{"name":"Health laboratory science","volume":"14 2","pages":"126-8"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1977-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"12055184","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Characteristics of a live avian influenza virus.","authors":"S N Merritt, H F Maassab","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Two avian influenza viruses were employed; a virulent wild-type (WT) parent and the cold variant (CV) which was an attenuated virus derived by genetic recombination at 25 C. The attenuated virus grows in embryonated eggs and chicken tracheal organ cultures. Infectious virus could be recovered from lung and turbinate. Infection with attenuated virus provided protection against infection with wild virus.</p>","PeriodicalId":12869,"journal":{"name":"Health laboratory science","volume":"14 2","pages":"122-5"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1977-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"12043889","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}