Category Archives: Bacteria (GPOS)
Spinal tuberculosis update (Pacific Region)
A recent seminar on orthopaedic infections took place organised by the Pacific Islands Orthopaedic Association. Here is the presentation: Zoom tutorials – Spine TB Ferguson 2020 final_cb. References are within the presentation. Some take home messages: Epidemiology High burdens of latent … Continue reading
Staphylococcus aureus complex – S. argenteus – bug of the week
Guest posting from Dr Dan Lennon, Microbiology Registrar, Pathology North. This species is increasingly recognised now that MALDITOF mass spectrometry is widely used for bacterial identification. Here is a useful short summary : S argenteus Lennon 2019 Sept. These species … Continue reading
Tuberculosis update 2018 from A/Prof Anna Ralph
Guest posting: Associate Professor Anna Ralph, Director of Global and Tropical Health at Menzies School of Health Research, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia. News : UN General Assembly first ever High-Level Meeting on the fight against tuberculosis, September 28th 2018. New(ish) WHO … Continue reading
Nocardia and aerobic actinomycetes
Guest posting: Dr Syeda Navqi, Microbiology Registrar, Pathology North. Group: Aerobic actinomycetes Gram positive bacteria that are usually filamentous and branched, commonly producing a fungus like mycelium that fragments into rod shaped or short coccoid form. All grow better under … Continue reading
Posted in Bacteria (GPOS), Med Micro topics-advanced, Module-Respiratory infections
Tagged Nocardia
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Invasive pneumococcal disease – the impetus for immunisation
Invasive Pneumococcal Disease Surveillance (Australia) – recent report gives you a good idea of which serotypes of pneumococcus are within the different vaccines and the recent changes to serotype-specific IPD indidence – we are seeing quite an impact that is … Continue reading
Tuberculosis- drug resistant- online learning, mailing lists and references
Courtesy of Dr Suman Majumdar, Dr Catherine Berry and others. Therapeutics Recent presentation from our advanced trainee registrar concerning the new TB drugs: Brian_Chong 2017 New TB drugs. TB drug monographs : up-to-date clinical profiles of TB drugs including guidance on … Continue reading
Posted in Infectious diseases, Module- Mycobacteria, Mycobacteria tuberculosis
Tagged Tuberculosis
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BCG vaccine – more than just protection from childhood tuberculosis
This is a useful BCG systematic review concerning childhood protection against TB- worth reading in detail. Longterm BCG protection into adulthood – vaccine efficacy (VE) 10-19 years post BCG was 58% (95% CI 27 to 76) p=0·002 and there was still a non-significant … Continue reading
Guide to MRSA strains and their emergence
It’s important to understand as much as you can about Staphylococcus aureus – it is such a prevalent cause of community and healthcare-associated infection and remains a major challenge to control. It’s not just one species – various clones of … Continue reading
Must know Gram positive bacterial pathogens for medical and pathology registrars/residents
By focusing your study on these organisms first, you will gain knowledge that is generalisable across most less common pathogens and diseases. Be systematic in your study – see proforma. Future postings will provide background on key emerging issues with each … Continue reading
Posted in Bacteria (GPOS), Microbiology
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Tuberculosis infection control – an essential priority
Control of healthcare TB transmission is an essential element of practice – protecting staff and other patients is paramount. Patients receiving drug therapy for drug susceptible TB are at increased risk for acquisition of MDR or XDR TB. WHO policy on … Continue reading
Posted in Bacteria (GPOS), Module- Mycobacteria, Tuberculosis infection control
Tagged Tuberculosis
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Microbiology and Infectious Diseases postgraduate teaching (PRIDA) 