Course Outline
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- Introduction
- Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus
- Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococci
- Clostridioides difficile
- Carbapenem-Resistant Enterobacterales
- True or False: MRSA is only a problem for patients who are hospitalized.
- Staphylococcus aureus
- General Characteristics
- S. aureus Virulence Factors
- Which factor would not attribute to the pathogenicity of S. aureus, as well as the frequency with which this organism produces infections?
- Clinical Significance of S. aureus
- Beta-lactam Antibiotics and S. aureus
- Which of these describes the mode of action of the beta-lactam class of antibiotics?
- Beta-lactam antibiotics interfere with cell wall synthesis by:
- MRSA
- Beta-lactams and Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus
- Healthcare-Associated MRSA (HA-MRSA) versus Community-Associated MRSA (CA-MRSA)
- Risk Factors
- The increased resistance of MRSA strains to beta-lactam antibiotics is due to production of which of the following penicillin-binding proteins (PBPs)?
- Which of the following statements is incorrect regarding HA-MRSA and CA-MRSA?
- Laboratory Diagnosis of MRSA
- Susceptibility Testing of Isolates
- Susceptibility Testing
- Selection of Drugs for Testing
- Interpretation of Oxacillin Broth Dilution Tests
- Interpretation of Oxacillin and Cefoxitin Disk Diffusion Tests
- Detection of Oxacillin Resistance
- Which of the following scenarios represents appropriate detection of MRSA by the Kirby Bauer method?
- A laboratory performs MIC tests, in addition to Kirby Bauer, and a PBP 2a assay on blood culture isolates. Which of the following isolates should be r...
- MRSA Treatment/Vancomycin Resistance in S. aureus
- Testing for Vancomycin Susceptibility
- Testing for Vancomycin Susceptibility
- A laboratory's primary susceptibility testing method is disk diffusion. The cefoxitin disk has a zone size of 19 mm and the vancomycin disk has a zone...
- Future Perspectives: MRSA
- Future Perspectives: MRSA
- Future Perspectives: MRSA, continued
- Moving forward, what is not considered an important strategy for dealing with MRSA strains?
- Enterococcus
- Enterococci
- Risk Factors and Resistance
- Enterococci can possess both intrinsic and acquired resistance. Which of the following represents acquired resistance of a typical enterococcal strain...
- Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococci
- Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococci (VRE) Phenotypes
- Which statement concerning vancomycin resistance in enterococci is correct?
- Laboratory Diagnosis of VRE
- Table 5: Identification of Enterococcus Species from Clinical Cultures
- Screening Cultures for Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococci (VRE)
- Susceptibility Testing of Enterococci
- Detecting Vancomycin Resistance
- High-Level Aminoglycoside Resistance (HLAR) Screening
- Which of the following statements reflects accurate identification of Enterococcus species?
- With regards to identifying resistance in enterococci, which general statement is incorrect?
- Treatment of Resistant Enterococci
- Newer Antibiotics for Treatment of Resistant Enterococci
- Clostridium Species
- Clostridioides difficile
- Laboratory Diagnosis of CDAD
- Laboratory Detection of C. difficile
- Stool Culture
- Cell Cytotoxicity Neutralization Assay (CCNA)
- Enzyme Immunoassay Methods
- Various methods have been employed for the detection of C. difficile disease: cultivation of the organism, cell cytotoxin neutralization assays, and e...
- Glutamate Dehydrogenase (GDH) Antigen Assays
- Molecular Methods
- Which of the following approaches for diagnostic testing have been indicated by recent literature?
- Treatment of C. difficile Infection
- Treatment of C. difficile Infection (CDI) and C. difficile Associated Disease (CDAD)
- Disinfection and Control of C. difficile Infection
- Future Perspectives: CDI/CDAD
- Carbapenem-Resistant Enterobacterales
- Enterobacterales and Spectrum of Disease
- CRE Defined and Risk Factors
- Mechanisms of Resistance
- Carbapenemase-Producing Enterobacterales
- What carbapenemase is produced most commonly by CRE encountered in the United States?
- Laboratory Diagnosis of CRE
- Detection, Identification, and Susceptibility Testing of CRE
- Summary: CRE versus CP-CRE
- True or False: When using current antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) breakpoints, it is recommended by CLSI that laboratories should also rout...
- Treatment and Control of CRE
- Future Perspectives: CRE
- References
Additional Information
Level of Instruction: Intermediate
Intended Audience: This course is intended for medical laboratory scientists, technicians, and those working in a microbiology lab. This course is also appropriate for medical laboratory science students and pathology residents.
Author Information:
Carolyn M. Law, PhD, MT(AMT) is the CEO of Celtic Labs Diagnostic Microbiology Services in Trinidad. She holds a PhD in Microbiology from the National University of Ireland, Maynooth.
Catherine Dragoni, MT(ASCP)SM received her BS degree in medical technology from the State University of New York, Upstate Medical Center, Syracuse. She began her career as a bench microbiologist at Maine Medical Center, Portland, Maine. Currently, she is the Assistant Chief Technologist of Microbiology and Molecular Pathology at NorDx Laboratories, Scarborough, Maine.
Co-author Information: Judi Bennett, MT, BSM currently works for MediaLab in Lawrenceville, Georgia. She has over 30 years of medical laboratory experience in an acute care hospital setting as a laboratory manager, senior clinical applications specialist, point-of-care coordinator, microbiology supervisor, and generalist technologist. Judi has experience speaking at various professional conferences and is the author of numerous peer-reviewed publications.
Reviewer Information: Amanda Reed, M.A.E., MLS(ASCP)CM is a Program Director and faculty member of the Medical Laboratory Science Program at Saint Louis University. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Biology and a Master of Arts in Education from Truman State University. After teaching a variety of high school science courses ranging from freshman biology to environmental science to basic chemistry and conceptual physics, she decided to pursue a degree in Clinical Laboratory Science from Saint Louis University. Amanda earned a Bachelor of Science in Clinical Laboratory Science and worked in the Microbiology Lab at Barnes-Jewish Hospital. She left the hospital in 2012 to combine her love of teaching and laboratory. Her interests center around the integration of classroom technology and student laboratory experiences in the field of medical laboratory science.
