Nathan C Hogarth, Mustafa Al-Kawaaz, Mark W Linder
{"title":"Evaluation of turnaround times and performance of in-house ChromaCode high-definition PCR compared to send-out next-generation sequencing in non-small cell lung cancer.","authors":"Nathan C Hogarth, Mustafa Al-Kawaaz, Mark W Linder","doi":"10.1093/ajcp/aqaf038","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcp/aqaf038","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths globally, with 1.8 million deaths annually. Advances in targeted therapy and molecular testing for key mutations in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) have improved survival rates. The benchmark turnaround time for molecular testing is 10 days; however, send-out next-generation sequencing (NGS) can often take 14 to 28 days.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The ChromaCode NSCLC assay uses a novel \"high-definition polymerase chain reaction (PCR)\" technology on digital PCR instruments to detect mutations in 9 genes derived from the most current guidelines provided by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, as well as separate testing guidelines as a collaborative effort by the College of American Pathologists, the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer, and the Association for Molecular Pathology. This includes testing for mutations in EGFR, BRAF, KRAS (G12C only), MET and RNA fusions in RET, ROS1, ALK, and NTRK1/2/3. This study retrospectively assessed the feasibility of implementing the assay in a medium-sized academic institution, with a detailed workflow analysis using 58 paraffin-embedded tissue specimens diagnosed as NSCLC.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Of the 58 samples, 100% concordance was observed between NGS and ChromaCode assays, with all 5 (~8.6%) positive cases-including 1 ROS1, 1 EGFR L858R, 1 KRAS G12C, and 2 NTRK1/2/3 rearrangements-accurately detected. Implementation of the ChromaCode NSCLC assay allows for an average institution-specific turnaround time of 5.01 days, subject to logistical constraints, compared to 10.4 days for send-out next-generation sequencing (U statistic = 153; α = 0.05).</p>","PeriodicalId":7506,"journal":{"name":"American journal of clinical pathology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-05-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143951979","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Sandra Ixchel Sanchez, Shirin Abbasi, Mahalia T Robinson, Zahra Maleki
{"title":"Pediatric thyroid nodules: A comprehensive study of cytology, histology, molecular findings, and risk of malignancy with emphasis on atypia of undetermined significance category.","authors":"Sandra Ixchel Sanchez, Shirin Abbasi, Mahalia T Robinson, Zahra Maleki","doi":"10.1093/ajcp/aqaf034","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcp/aqaf034","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>Pediatric thyroid nodules are more challenging in clinical practice than in adults. Herein, we report our comprehensive experience with pediatric thyroid nodules, including cytology, histology, and molecular correlation.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Pediatric thyroid fine needle aspiration (FNA) performed from 2014 to 2024 was identified. Patients' demographics, FNA site, number and size of nodules, Bethesda category diagnosis, molecular studies, and surgical diagnoses were recorded.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>In 310 reports, 378 nodules from 302 patients were included. Patients' mean age was 17.0 years (range, 1-21 years). Applying the Bethesda system, benign diagnoses were most common (198/378, 52.4%), while the indeterminate category of atypia of undetermined significance (AUS) was the most prevalent (51/378, 13.5%). Surgical resection was performed in 36.8% (139/378) of cases, revealing malignancy in 50.0% of AUS, 45.4% of follicular neoplasms, and 93.8% of suspicious-for-malignancy cases. Among AUS subtypes, nuclear atypia was most frequently noted (16/30, 53.3%) and linked to papillary thyroid carcinoma in half of these cases (8/16, 50.0%). The risk of malignancy (ROM) increased with age and showed a female predominance (81.9%), with 86.1% of malignancies in the 16- to 21-year age group and no malignant histology in ages 0 to 5 years. Molecular testing, including Afirma (34/38, 89.5%) and Thyroseq (4/38, 10.5%), often returned suspicious (16/34, 47.1%) or intermediate (3/4, 75.0%) results.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Indeterminate diagnoses in pediatrics posed a significant ROM, particularly in female adolescents and early adulthood (ages 16-21 years). The AUS category was the most common among indeterminate categories, with AUS nuclear highly associated with malignancy. No malignancy was seen in ages 0 to 5 years.</p>","PeriodicalId":7506,"journal":{"name":"American journal of clinical pathology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-05-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143965580","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Hamilton C Tsang, Ryan J Morse, Jing Zhang, Tho Bui, Brooke Emrich, Rida A Hasan, Joshua A Lieberman
{"title":"The clinical pathology laboratory in 360° virtual reality.","authors":"Hamilton C Tsang, Ryan J Morse, Jing Zhang, Tho Bui, Brooke Emrich, Rida A Hasan, Joshua A Lieberman","doi":"10.1093/ajcp/aqaf031","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcp/aqaf031","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>This study aimed to enhance medical education by integrating virtual reality (VR) tours into the clinical pathology curriculum, comparing VR with traditional didactic methods.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Seven 360° VR tours were developed for the Microbiology and Transfusion Services laboratories. A controlled crossover study involved 171 medical students (83% MS4) from April 2021 to April 2023. Students were randomly assigned to either the VR or PowerPoint (PP) presentation groups. Surveys and assessments measured understanding, interactivity, relevance, and engagement.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>With more than a 90% response rate, VR participants rated the interactivity significantly higher than PP participants (mean, 4.48 vs 3.48; P < .001). The VR format also showed higher scores for understanding the laboratory environment (mean, 4.38; P = .6) and engagement (mean, 4.21; P = .004). Although assessment scores were slightly lower for VR participants (6.2 vs 6.5; P = .1), the VR tours increased engagement and provided a more interactive learning experience.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Integrating 360° VR tours into the clinical pathology curriculum enhances interactivity and learner engagement, offering a scalable solution for remote learning. This method addresses the limitations of traditional remote learning, promoting a more immersive educational experience.</p>","PeriodicalId":7506,"journal":{"name":"American journal of clinical pathology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-05-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143957816","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Katrina Collins, Iván A González, Muhammad T Idrees, Anita Gupta, John M Wo, Omer A M Saeed
{"title":"Loss of α-smooth muscle actin immunostaining is not a useful marker for functional impairment: a comparison from patients with and without small bowel motility disorder.","authors":"Katrina Collins, Iván A González, Muhammad T Idrees, Anita Gupta, John M Wo, Omer A M Saeed","doi":"10.1093/ajcp/aqaf033","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcp/aqaf033","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>Prior studies have reported the loss of α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) immunoreactivity in the inner circular layer of the muscularis propria in small bowel motility disorder cases, but this remains controversial with conflicting data. In this study, we aimed to characterize α-SMA immunoreactivity in the muscularis propria of the small intestine-specifically, jejunum-in patients with and without small bowel motility disorder.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A total of 28 transmural proximal jejunum biopsy specimens from adult patients with clinical impression of upper gastrointestinal dysmotility disorder and 64 control tissues were evaluated. The controls were full-thickness, longitudinal tissue sections from segmental resections performed due to gunshot wounds, multivisceral transplant donation, and tumors. Immunostaining for α-SMA was performed with appropriate controls to confirm the presence of immunoreactivity in the circular and longitudinal muscle layers of the muscularis propria in each sample and recorded as retained or diminished.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>In the small bowel motility disorder and control cases, 42.9% (12/28) and 70.3% (49/64) of the cases showed no or minimal α-SMA immunoreactivity in the inner circular layer with peripheral accentuation, respectively.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Loss or diminished α-SMA immunoreactivity in the inner circular layer of the muscularis propria occurs with a similar frequency in cases with and without small bowel motility disorder and does not correlate with impairment of function.</p>","PeriodicalId":7506,"journal":{"name":"American journal of clinical pathology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-05-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143958913","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Lynnette Pineault, Karla Valencia, Jennifer Buhay, Alexandra Brown, Suzanne Ziemnik, Melissa Kelly, James Morgante, Ananya Datta Mitra, Lindsay Yanamura, Marie Gilliland, Amy Ferea, Joseph Kim
{"title":"ASCP explores the cancer biomarker testing navigator as a novel role to improve laboratory operations and workflows: A special report from the ASCP Biomarker Testing Navigator Project Team.","authors":"Lynnette Pineault, Karla Valencia, Jennifer Buhay, Alexandra Brown, Suzanne Ziemnik, Melissa Kelly, James Morgante, Ananya Datta Mitra, Lindsay Yanamura, Marie Gilliland, Amy Ferea, Joseph Kim","doi":"10.1093/ajcp/aqaf028","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcp/aqaf028","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>Cancer biomarker testing is a critical element in precision oncology, guiding treatment decisions and improving patient outcomes. However, the complexity and variability of biomarker testing processes present significant challenges for cancer centers, often leading to delays and inefficiencies that can compromise care quality. The American Society for Clinical Pathology explored the concept of a novel laboratory professional role: the cancer biomarker testing navigator (BTN).</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This study explored the feasibility and impact of the BTN role on laboratory operations and workflows through a 3-phase project consisting of a quantitative needs assessment, qualitative focus group discussions, and a short-term feasibility pilot conducted at 2 cancer centers.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The needs assessment revealed that many laboratories lack dedicated staff for coordinating biomarker testing, leading to operational inefficiencies. The roundtable discussions highlighted common challenges in biomarker testing and identified potential benefits of the BTN role, such as improved communication, better tracking of send-out tests, and enhanced task efficiency. The feasibility pilot demonstrated that BTNs could coordinate multigene next-generation sequencing panels and expedite key steps to ensure optimal preanalytical processes, reduce delays in testing, and smooth operations. The BTN role represents a feasible and beneficial addition to pathology laboratories that addresses key operational challenges in cancer biomarker testing and offers a promising solution to streamline laboratory operations, improve multidisciplinary communication, and enhance patient care coordination.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Further exploration is warranted to refine the BTN role and assess its long-term sustainability in and impact on diverse laboratory settings.</p>","PeriodicalId":7506,"journal":{"name":"American journal of clinical pathology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-05-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143960937","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Burak Tekin, John C Cheville, Fabrice Lucien, Michael McCarthy, Haidong Dong, Karla J Kopp, Nate R Torell, Roxane R Lavoie, Ava Farrell, Brandy L Jaszewski, Carin Y Smith, Sarah M Jenkins, Surendra Dasari, Santosh Menon, Rumeal D Whaley, Stephen A Boorjian, Lance C Pagliaro, Lori A Erickson, Ruifeng Guo, Sounak Gupta
{"title":"Biomarkers of response to antibody-drug conjugates (TROP2 and nectin-4) and the immune microenvironment (NKG7, PD-L1, and B7-H3) in penile squamous cell carcinoma.","authors":"Burak Tekin, John C Cheville, Fabrice Lucien, Michael McCarthy, Haidong Dong, Karla J Kopp, Nate R Torell, Roxane R Lavoie, Ava Farrell, Brandy L Jaszewski, Carin Y Smith, Sarah M Jenkins, Surendra Dasari, Santosh Menon, Rumeal D Whaley, Stephen A Boorjian, Lance C Pagliaro, Lori A Erickson, Ruifeng Guo, Sounak Gupta","doi":"10.1093/ajcp/aqaf022","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcp/aqaf022","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>We aimed to assess the expression of biomarkers of response to antibody-drug conjugates (TROP2 and nectin-4) and immune microenvironment (NKG7, PD-L1, and B7-H3) in penile squamous cell carcinoma (pSCC).</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Our archive was queried for patients who had a penectomy for pSCC between 2000 and 2022. Primary tumors were immunostained for B7-H3 and NKG7, while metastatic specimens were immunostained for TROP2 and nectin-4. Expression of PD-L1, TROP2, and nectin-4 in primary tumors was previously characterized. H-scores (0-300) were used to quantify expression. Associations between biomarkers, tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), and clinicopathologic and outcome parameters were evaluated.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>For both TROP2 and nectin-4, H-scores within the lymph node metastases were higher compared to those within the primary tumors (mean, 264.5 vs 244.8, P = .0003; mean, 170.6 vs 146.7, P = .05, respectively; 33 paired specimens). For B7-H3 (n = 107), 32.7% of the primary tumors had an H-score of more than 0. In 34.8% of the cases, NKG7 expression was observed in 25% to 50% of the TILs. A significant association was noted between TIL density, B7-H3, NKG7, and PD-L1 expression.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Therapeutic strategies targeting TROP2 and nectin-4 hold promise for patients with advanced pSCC. The potential of PD-L1, B7-H3, and NKG7 for predicting response to immunomodulatory treatment warrants further research.</p>","PeriodicalId":7506,"journal":{"name":"American journal of clinical pathology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-05-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143958528","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ming-Tseh Lin, Eric S Christenson, Aparna Pallavajjala, James R Eshleman
{"title":"Highly sensitive and specific markers for detection of mismatch repair deficiency by next-generation sequencing.","authors":"Ming-Tseh Lin, Eric S Christenson, Aparna Pallavajjala, James R Eshleman","doi":"10.1093/ajcp/aqaf026","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcp/aqaf026","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>To identify exonic markers that could improve analytic performance characteristics of next-generation sequencing (NGS) in detecting mismatch repair deficiency (dMMR) using colorectal cancer (CRC) as a model.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Coding sequences of a target NGS panel (~1.13 megabase) were compared between dMMR CRC and mismatch repair-proficient (pMMR) CRC in a training cohort (41 dMMR CRCs and 213 pMMR CRCs) and a validation cohort (33 dMMR CRCs and 307 pMMR CRCs) with documented mismatch repair status by immunohistochemical and/or microsatellite instability assays.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The dMMR CRC cases showed significantly higher insertion/deletion (indel) mutations within exonic homopolymers (homo-indels), occurring predominantly within longer repeats of 5 to 10 nucleotides (92%, P < .0001), rather than shorter repeats of 2 to 4 nucleotides seen in pMMR CRC (62%). Homo-indels in dMMR CRC were not random. Hotspot loci were consistent between the training and validation cohorts. The dMMR defined by indels within homopolymers of 5 or more nucleotides, homopolymers of 7 or more nucleotides, or a panel of hotspots all showed 100% sensitivity and specificity with a range of cutoffs.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>We propose that this approach allows one to identify highly sensitive and specific markers for detecting dMMR CRC by NGS alone. Further studies are warranted to test whether these markers are applicable to non-CRC neoplasms.</p>","PeriodicalId":7506,"journal":{"name":"American journal of clinical pathology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-05-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143965266","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Radhika Nagappan, Sarah Sarah, Saed Miri Nargesi, Gary McAuliffe, Erasmus Smit
{"title":"Quantitative EBV detection from whole blood on the COBAS 6800 system in response to Song J, Kim S, Kwak E, Park Y. Applicability of the cobas 6800 System for Epstein-Barr viral load quantitation using whole-blood specimens. Am J Clin Pathol. 2024 Mar 1;161(3):273-282. doi: 10.1093/ajcp/aqad146. PMID: 37936258.","authors":"Radhika Nagappan, Sarah Sarah, Saed Miri Nargesi, Gary McAuliffe, Erasmus Smit","doi":"10.1093/ajcp/aqaf004","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcp/aqaf004","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":7506,"journal":{"name":"American journal of clinical pathology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-05-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143958416","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Jae Won Lee, Suk Won Seo, Yousun Chung, Hyungsuk Kim, Sang-Hyun Hwang, Heung-Beom Oh, Han Joo Kim, Dae-Hyun Ko
{"title":"Quality control and maintenance of intraoperative cell salvage instruments.","authors":"Jae Won Lee, Suk Won Seo, Yousun Chung, Hyungsuk Kim, Sang-Hyun Hwang, Heung-Beom Oh, Han Joo Kim, Dae-Hyun Ko","doi":"10.1093/ajcp/aqaf027","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcp/aqaf027","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>Intraoperative cell salvage (ICS) is broadly used in high-risk surgical procedures to facilitate rapid autologous red blood cell transfusion, minimizing the need for allogeneic blood and its associated risks. However, standardized guidelines are lacking for the quality control of ICS devices.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We retrospectively assessed biannual quality control tests performed on 8 ICS devices at our institution between 2017 and 2023. The quality control assessments included visual inspection for hemolysis, albumin levels, potassium (K+) levels, and free hemoglobin levels, as well as microbial cultures.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Among 90 quality control tests, albumin and K+ levels were consistently within acceptable ranges. However, visual inspections revealed 14 and 20 instances of unacceptable hemolysis and free hemoglobin levels, respectively. Two devices exhibited higher frequencies of these unacceptable outcomes. Most microbial cultures identified contaminants, with Klebsiella pneumoniae being the only notable pathogen. Follow-up simulations demonstrated acceptable performance, indicating equipment reliability.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Our findings highlight the need for standardized quality control protocols for ICS devices. Although current guidelines are limited, our biannual quality control standard is both practical and effective. We hope our findings provide a framework for other institutions aiming to optimize ICS device performance.</p>","PeriodicalId":7506,"journal":{"name":"American journal of clinical pathology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-04-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143959952","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Jeremy W Jacobs, Brian D Adkins, Danny A Milner, Evan M Bloch, Quentin Eichbaum
{"title":"Survey of clinical microbiology and infectious disease testing capabilities among institutions in Africa.","authors":"Jeremy W Jacobs, Brian D Adkins, Danny A Milner, Evan M Bloch, Quentin Eichbaum","doi":"10.1093/ajcp/aqae148","DOIUrl":"10.1093/ajcp/aqae148","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>Inadequate laboratory infrastructure and testing capabilities are a major impediment to addressing the infectious disease burden in Africa. Therefore, the aims of this study were to characterize the clinical microbiology/infectious disease laboratory capabilities among countries in Africa.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A survey to assess the microbiological testing capabilities at hospitals, government laboratories, and free-standing public and private laboratories in African countries was developed by subject matter experts. Questions included institutional demographics and microbiology services in the broad categories of bacteriology, virology, mycology, parasitology, and rapid diagnostics/point-of-care testing. The survey was distributed using the American Society of Clinical Pathology email listserv between June and August 2022.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>In total, 131 unique institutions in 28 countries endorsed at least 1 type of microbiology service, with parasitology (80.9%, 106/131) and bacteriology (77.9%, 102/131) being most common, while mycology (45.0%, 59/131) and virology (45.8%, 60/131) laboratories were less prevalent. The most frequently performed bacteriology test was bacterial identification (90.2%, 92/102), followed by aerobic bacterial cultures and antimicrobial susceptibility testing (both 89.2%, 91/102). Among all clinical microbiology/infectious disease laboratories, the most commonly tested agents were HIV (90.8%, 119/131), Treponema pallidum (78.6%, 103/131), Plasmodium falciparum (76.3%, 100/131), Mycobacterium tuberculosis (76.3%, 100/131), and hepatitis C virus (74.8%, 98/131).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>These findings provide contemporary data regarding the availability of critical infectious disease testing capabilities among institutions in Africa. These results and future additional studies will be crucial for understanding where strategic investment in the laboratory and public health infrastructure is warranted.</p>","PeriodicalId":7506,"journal":{"name":"American journal of clinical pathology","volume":" ","pages":"526-530"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-04-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12009664/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142612185","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}