Diagnosing Infections - Microbial Identification Methods

These flashcards cover key concepts and definitions related to the methods of diagnosing infections in microbiology.

Phenotypic Methods

Methods that involve the observation of traits expressed by an organism in appearance and behavior.

Immunologic Methods

Techniques that test patient samples for specific antibodies to suspected pathogens.

Genotypic Methods

Methods that examine the genetic material of a microbe for identification.

Viable nonculturable (VNC)

Microbes that cannot be grown in laboratory conditions.

Aseptic techniques

Procedures that prevent contamination by unwanted microbes during specimen collection.

Selective media

Specialized growth media that encourage the growth of a specific pathogen.

Differential media

Growth media that differentiate between different types of microbes based on their biochemical properties.

Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing

Tests that determine which antibiotics will be effective for treating an infection.

Serology

The study of serum to detect the presence of antibodies for diagnosing diseases.

Antibody titers

The concentration of antibodies in a serum sample.

Serotyping

A technique for identifying and classifying bacteria into categories based on their antigens.

Western Blot Test

A method used to detect specific antigens or antibodies, often used for HIV detection.

Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA)

An immunological assay that uses enzyme-linked antibodies to detect the presence of antigens.

Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)

A technique that amplifies DNA or RNA sequences to facilitate microbe identification.