TNT: Continuing Education
Microbiology
First Wednesday of Each Month
11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m., Central Standard Time
May 6, 2009 - April 7, 2010
A continuing education audioconference series designed for Microbiologists: Parasitologists, Mycologists, Bacteriologists, and Virologists
12 contact hours approved for P.A.C.E. credit through ASCLS
Link to program brochure (PDF format)
Link to Registration form (PDF format)
Contact Person: Susie G. Quintana, MPH
PROGRAM SCHEDULE:
May 6, 2009 – How to Assist the Pathologist with the Diagnosis of Fungal Infections in Histopathologic Section
Glenn Roberts, PhD, Consultant in Clinical Microbiology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN
This teleconference will present a number of cases where fungi are seen in histopathologic section and may be recognized by the microbiologist. Since pathologists do not have extensive experience with fungal infections, the microbiologist may be of help. A team approach utilizing the pathologist and microbiologist provides a powerful tool for the diagnosis of fungal infections in histopathologic section.
June 3, 2009 – Detection of ESBL's in Bacteria that have AmpC Beta Lactamases: Introduction to the 10-Disk Test
Paul Schreckenberger, Ph.D., D(ABMM), F(AAM), MT(ASCP), CLS(NCA), Professor of Pathology/Director, Clinical Microbiology Laboratory/Associate Director, Diagnostic Molecular Pathology Laboratory, Loyola University Medical Center, Chicago, IL
ESBL-mediated resistance to cephalosporins is not always obvious in disk or dilution tests because the MICs of cephalosporins for ESBL-producers are often low (0.5-2 μg/ml) and inhibition zones of disks are correspondingly large. Never the less, such ESBLs have been associated with clinical failure in patients; therefore, reliable detection is imperative. Many laboratories detect and report ESBLs only in E. coli and Klebsiella species; however, ESBLs are known to occur in most species of Enterobacteriaceae. This audioconference highlights the types of beta-lactamases that occur in various members of the Enterobacteriaceae and describes a disk screening procedure for detection of beta-lactamase mediated resistance that can be applied to all species of Enterobacteriaceae.
July 1, 2009 – Update on Performance of Blood Cultures
Michael Wilson, MD, Director, Pathology & Laboratory Services, Denver Health; Director, Denver Public Health Laboratories; Professor, Pathology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Denver, CO
This course will provide a review and summary of the latest recommendations for blood cultures, with emphasis on the recent CLSI guidelines. The course will provide some background information regarding the scientific and medical basis of the use of blood cultures for the detection of bacteremia and fungemia, but the content will assume that participants have basic knowledge of microbiology and familiarity with laboratory methods. The course will also provide an update of any important information published since the CLSI document was published in 2007.
August 5, 2009 – Abbreviated Quality Control Procedures for Commercial Identification Systems
Susan E. Sharp, PhD, DABMM, Director of Microbiology, Kaiser Permanente – NW, Portland, OR
CLSI – M50 Quality Control for Commercial Microbial Identification Systems; Approved Guideline (M50-A).: A historical account of how it came to be, what the guideline states regarding QC for MID systems, and how to implement the guidelines in your laboratory.
September 2, 2009 – New Taxonomy and Procedures for Rapidly-Growing Mycobacteria and Nocardia Species
Barbara Elliott, MS, MT(ASCP)SM, Senior Research Scientist and Supervisor, Mycobacteria/Nocardia Laboratory, University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler, Tyler, Texas
The purpose of this teleconference is to provide the participant with an update on the recent changes in the taxonomy of the rapidly growing mycobacteria (RGM) and Nocardia and to review the procedures currently recommended for the identification of these organisms.
October 7, 2009 – Cystic Fibrosis Microbiology
Peter Gilligan, PhD, Director, Clinical Microbiology-Immunology Laboratories and Phlebotomy Services, University of North Carolina Hospitals, Chapel Hill, NC
A select group of micro-organisms is responsible for chronic lung infection which is the hallmark of cystic fibrosis. In this lecture, we will first discuss the typical disease course in CF patients, and the strategies which are being used to try to reverse it, including the role of the clinical microbiology laboratory in this process. WE will then specifically talk about the organisms that are most frequently associate with CF lung disease and how to best isolate, identify, and perform susceptibility testing on them.
November 4, 2009 – Interpreting Antifungal Susceptibility Testing
Annette Fothergill, MA, MBA, MT(ASCP), CLS(NCA), Assistant Professor, Department of Pathology/Technical Director, Fungus Testing Laboratory (FTL), University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX
Much confusion surrounds interpretation of results obtained with antifungal susceptibility testing. This lecture will discuss antifungal susceptibility testing methods and recent changes that have been approved in the CLSI documents regarding this testing. In addition, a discussion of how these results can be used to assist in directing patient therapy will be presented.
December 2, 2009 – Recent Revisions of the CLSI Guideline on Infrequent or Fastidious Organisms – M45-A2
Janet Hindler, MCLS, MT(ASCP), F(AAM), Senior Specialist, Clinical Microbiology, UCLA Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA
The Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) M45 guideline entitled “Methods for Antimicrobial Dilution and Disk Susceptibility Testing of Infrequently Isolated or Fastidious Bacteria” was recently updated. M45-A2 describes AST and reporting of 14 genera or organism groups not addressed in CLSI M100 or other CLSI AST documents. This program will review the recent changes to M45 and describe the practical utilization of M45-A2 in routine clinical or public health laboratories for antimicrobial susceptibility testing` of clinical isolates. It will also review the recommended testing methods, reporting strategies, and QC procedures for the organisms included in this document.
January 6, 2010 – Recent Updates to the CLSI Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing Documents
James Jorgensen, PhD, Professor, Pathology, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX
The CLSI reviews and updates the antimicrobial susceptibility testing standards M2 and M7 every three years (most recently in 2009), and updates the related breakpoint and quality control tables every year with the M100 supplements. IN 2009, the M100 table formats and arrangements were changed to simplify their use. Several tables previously included in M100 that related to fastidious or infrequently encountered organisms have been moved to CLSI M45 that focuses entirely on related bacterial. This teleconference will review the most notable recent updates to these CLSI publications.
February 3, 2010 – Microbiology Reporting Strategies to Improve Patient Care
James Lewis, Pharm.D., Infectious Disease Pharmacy Program Manager, Clinical Assistant Professor, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, TX
The care of critically ill patients with infections hinges on the data provided by the microbiology laboratory. Correct information provided in a timely manner can in some circumstances determine the clinical outcome of these patients. Furthermore, the way that microbiology results are reported can oftentimes have unintended consequences when interpreted by clinicians who are less familiar with microbiology laboratory practices. This program will review common difficulties with the reporting and interpretation of microbiologic data to clinicians and provide insight into the confusion faced by clinical practitioners when confronted with certain microbiology results.
March 3, 2010 – “Herpes Simplex Virus: Infection and Host Shutoff Function”
Anisa Kaenjak Angeletti, PhD, Research Assistant Professor, Nebraska Center for Virology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE
Herpes simplex virus (HSV) is an important virus pathogen causing a number of diseases in humans. The presentation covers the concept of HSV infection of susceptible human cells. The session will describe the HSV life cycle; how HSV enters the host cell, shuts off the host cells, takes over cellular machinery, replicates, kills the host cells, and releases from the host cells. Emphasis will be placed on the mechanism of host shutoff function at a molecular level.
April 7, 2010 – “What Molecular Identification has done to Taxonomy and Nomenclature: A Selected Mould Update”
Deanna Sutton, MT(ASCP), SM(ASCP), RM(NRM), SM(NRM), Associate Professor/Research, Dept of Pathology, Adm. Director, Fungus Testing Laboratory, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX
This teleconference will review the changing fungal nomenclature for selected filamentous moulds, provide a rationale for these changes based upon molecular characterization of isolates, and present new species and/or species complex names for several genera of clinically-significant filamentous fungi.