Microbiology

Clinical Microbiology is a diagnostic tool for the detection of infections caused by different infectious agents which includes:

• Bacteria
• Fungi
• Mycobacterium
• Parasites
• Viruses

For Bacterial infections microscopy (Gram’s stain) and culture on different media are performed to obtain the growth of causative agents and to check the antibiotic sensitivity pattern of pathogenic micro-organisms.

Microscopy and culture is also available for Fungi and Mycobacterium. Microscopy allows rapid diagnosis of these slow growing micro-organisms. Drug susceptibility is not routinely performed for fungal agents.

For the diagnosis of Parasitic infections, microscopic examinations are performed by direct and concentration methods. No culture is performed for parasites.

Viral and some bacterial infections are also diagnosed by serological tests from a blood sample. This facilitates the detection of specific antigens and antibodies. No culture is performed.