Clinical Bacteriology Laboratory

What We Do

The Clinical Bacteriology Team is involved in the identification and/or confirmation of pure cultures for the following organisms:

• Gram-negative non-fermentative rods
• Gram-positive rods including coryneforms and Bacillus
• Gram-positive cocci including Streptococcus and Staphylococcus
• Family Enterobacteriaceae, Haemophilus, and Neisseria

Clinical Testing

• Bordetella pertussis culture
• Isolation and identification of enteric pathogens and Group A and B Streptococcus and Legionella
• Processing autopsy specimens from the medical examiner
• Serological typing for Neisseria meningitidis, Haemophilus influenzae, E. coli 057:H7, and other Shiga toxin-producing E. coli, Vibrio cholerae, Legionella species, and Streptococcus species
• Genetic probe testing for N. gonorrhoeae and C. trachomatis

The team processes yearly, on average, 2600-3000 specimens for bacterial isolation or identification and 14,000 specimens for N. gonorrhoeae and C. trachomatis by genetic probe.