Clinical Microbiology Newsletter RSS feed: Current Issue. Highly respected for its ability to keep pace with advances in this fast moving field, Clinical Microbiology Newsletter has quickly become a “benchmark” for anyone in the lab. Twice a month the newsletter reports on changes that affect your work, ranging from articles on new diagnostic techniques, to surveys of how readers handle blood cultures, to editorials questioning common procedures and suggesting new ones. Clinical Microbiology Newsletter brings you: – minireviews on pathogenesis, diagnosis, epidemiology, therapy of infectious diseases – practical and brief articles on laboratory techniques – indispensable updates on important clinical problems – editorials and opinions on controversial issues in laboratory medicine – helpful tips on improving the laboratory workplace – instructive case reports that describe or resolve difficult or unusual clinical cases. In these days of cost containment and high expectations, Clinical Microbiology Newsletter can help you streamline procedures and improve results.http://www.cmnewsletter.com/?rss=yesElsevier Inc.en © 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Clinical Microbiology Newsletter0196-43993251 March 2010 © 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. healthpermissions@elsevier.comhttp://www.cmnewsletter.com/article/PIIS0196439910000073/abstract?rss=yesAbstract: Bloodstream infections are among the top causes of death in the United States, and substantial mortality is attributed to testing delays in determinating the microbial cause(s) and selection of the appropriate antibiotic. In this review, we summarize the human and financial impact of sepsis, as well as the predisposing factors, symptoms, and common modes of bacterial pathogenesis. We also detail important clinical and laboratory criteria for the diagnosis of sepsis and key aspects of the Surviving Sepsis Campaign Guidelines as they relate to diagnosis, therapy, and resuscitation from the septic event. Clinical laboratories must expand their understanding of the complexities related to diagnosing and treating sepsis in order to expand their role as productive members of interdisciplinary health care teams focused on improving survival from sepsis and limiting the financial impact that sepsis imposes on our health care systems. Code Sepsis: Rapid Methods To Diagnose Sepsis and Detect Hematopathogens: Part I: The Impact and Attributes of SepsisDonna M. Wolk, Albert B. Fiorello10.1016/j.clinmicnews.2010.02.001Clinical Microbiology Newsletter 32, 5 (2010)2010-03-01Clinical Microbiology Newsletter2010-03-01325S0196-4399(10)X0004-63337http://www.cmnewsletter.com/article/PIIS0196439910000085/abstract?rss=yesThe following describes our experience in developing an improved medium for the detection of Salmonella and Shigella species in clinical specimens. Initially, we attempted to build on past improvements of enteric plating agars containing the surfactant Niaproof 4, formerly known as Tergitol 4. However, despite their broad application for detection of Salmonella species in food safety and veterinary medical diagnostics (), Niaproof 4-supplemented (NS) enteric plating agars are limited for use on human clinical specimens because they do not adequately support the growth of Shigella species. Our goal was to develop an NS-type agar that would be sensitive for detecting Shigella as well as Salmonella species and thus be appropriate for the diagnosis of two major human bacterial enteropathogens.An Improved Medium for the Detection of Salmonella and Shigella SpeciesR.G. Miller, E.T. Mallinson10.1016/j.clinmicnews.2010.02.002Clinical Microbiology Newsletter 32, 5 (2010)2010-03-01Clinical Microbiology Newsletter2010-03-01325S0196-4399(10)X0004-63839http://www.cmnewsletter.com/article/PIIS0196439910000097/abstract?rss=yesIf your laboratory has isolated an uncommon organism, a common organism from an unusual patient, or an organism that presented a particular diagnostic challenge, why not share the information with your colleagues through the Clinical Microbiology Newsletter. The editors would like to receive interesting case reports from our readers for possible publication in the Newsletter. Submitted case reports should contain (i) a brief clinical history summarizing the symptoms and course of the illness, (ii) a description of how the organism(s) was cultured and differentiated from closely associated organisms, and (iii) the results of susceptibility tests for the isolate(s).Call for Submissions10.1016/j.clinmicnews.2010.02.003Clinical Microbiology Newsletter 32, 5 (2010)2010-03-01Clinical Microbiology Newsletter2010-03-01325S0196-4399(10)X0004-64040