SMRU Bacteriology Laboratory

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SMRU Bacteriology Laboratory

• Paul Turner
• Clinical Microbiologist

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Aims of the SMRUMicrobiology Lab

• Comprehensive clinical bacteriology diagnostic
  laboratory
• Supporting the clinical activities of SMRU
• Focus on respiratory pathogens
• Isolation
• Characterisation
• Antimicrobial susceptibility testing

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Role in the Influenza study (1)

• Define the bacterial respiratory pathogens
  causing ARI in the camps
• Define the burden of antimicrobial resistance

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Role in the Influenza study (2)

• Estimate the prevalence of carriage of
  respiratory pathogens
• Streptococcus pneumoniae
• Haemophilus influenzae
• Moraxella catarrhalis

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Sampling techniques

• Nasopharyngeal swab
• Sputum
• Blood culture

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Nasopharyngeal swab

• Primary specimen for the detection of carriage of
  bacterial respiratory pathogens
• Carriage precedes invasive infection

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Sputum

• Microscopy and culture to detect presence of
  respiratory pathogens
• Limitations
• Often poor quality specimens received
• Refrigeration required if delay in specimen
  processing

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Blood culture

• To detect invasive infection
• Limitations
• Not feasible if delay in transporting specimen to
  the lab
• Poor sensitivity in ARI

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Further work on pneumococcal isolates

• Antimicrobial sensitivity tests
• Serotyping
• Invasive isolates
• Random selection of carriage isolates