New methods for identifying infectious diseases

摘要

The goal of clinical microbiology is to identify the cause of infection, aiding rapid treatment initiation or altering empirically chosen anti-microbial regimens. Automation and molecular techniques have brought about a revolution in the clinical laboratory, ensuring ever faster and more accurate diagnoses. In the last few years however, there have been a number of developments that radically alter the way that microbiology and other diagnostic laboratories are advancing. In particular, clinical microbiology will have the opportunity to intervene at the public health level as well as at the individual patient.