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a culture of service...
January, 2012
© 2012, Hardy Diagnostics,
all rights reserved
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Micro Tips...
When I isolate a Vancomycin Resistant Enterococcus (VRE), how can I rule out non-pathogenic species?
Enterococcus gallinarum
and
E. casseliflavus
are usually vancomycin resistant, but are not considered to be pathogens in humans. The possible pathogens would be
E. faecalis
and
E. faecium
. To rule out the non-pathogenic species, a
Rapid MGP
test may be performed. The non-pathogenic
E. gallinarum
and
E. casseliflavus
will turn the medium yellow within five hours (shown above).
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Do you have a tip that you would like to share with thousands of MicroBytes readers?
Click here
.
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Brainteasers
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Phraseology
"
Caesar Salad
"
The famous salad is not named after a Roman emperor, but after Caesar Gardini, the owner and chef at a restaurant called Caesar's Place in Tijuana, Mexico.
The Italian chef invented the dish in 1924 during a very busy Fourth of July weekend.
Legend has it that the kitchen had pretty much run out of food and he constructed the salad from what was left over: romaine lettuce, garlic, olive oil, croutons, eggs, and parmesan cheese. Anchovies were not added until years later by Caesar's brother, Alex.
As a youngster, Julia Child ate at Caesar's restaurant in the 1920's, and 50 years later she added the recipe to her famous book.
The International Society of Epicures in Paris named Caesar's Salad "the greatest recipe to originate from the Americas in 50 years."
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New format!
PYR Card Test
N
ow our rapid PYR test is available on a card. Each card contains three circles in order to test three specimens. Many people find the card test easier to handle than the traditional disk test. PYR is a valuable aid in the rapid identification of Group A Strep and
Enterococcus faecalis,
as well as some
Enterobacteriaceae
.
See more information.
Request a PYR sample card.
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Think about it...
* Whenever I feel blue . . .I start breathing again.
* In the 60's, people took acid to make the world weird. Now the world is weird and people take Prozac to make it normal.
* How is it one careless match can start a forest fire, but it takes a whole box to start a campfire?
* Who was the first person to look at a cow and say, 'I think I'll squeeze these dangly things and drink whatever comes out'?
* If Jimmy cracks corn and no one cares, why is there a song about him?
* * *
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Over the last several years Hardy Diagnostics has made numerous improvements to its facilities to conserve energy and reduce our impact on the planet.
Click here
to see what we have done!
Maybe you will get some ideas for your facility.
* * *
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Wisdom to ponder...
Margaret Thatcher
English chemist who became the United Kingdom's first female Prime Minister; serving from 1979 to 1990. Her unbending convictions and tough rhetoric earned her the nickname, the "Iron Lady."
"I'm extraordinarily patient provided I get my own way in the end."
"Any woman who understands the problems of running a home will be nearer to understanding the problems of running a country."
"Being powerful is like being a lady. If you have to tell people you are, then you aren't."
"Europe was created by history. America was created by philosophy."
"I am in politics because of the conflict between good and evil, and I believe that in the end good will triumph."
"I don't mind how much my Ministers talk, so long as they do what I say."
"I usually make up my mind about a man in ten seconds, and I very rarely change it."
"I've got a woman's ability to stick to a job and get on with it when everyone else walks off and leaves it."
"If my critics saw me walking over the Thames they would say it was because I couldn't swim."
"If you just set out to be liked, you would be prepared to compromise on anything at any time, and you would achieve nothing."
"If you want something said, ask a man; if you want something done, ask a woman."
"It is not the creation of wealth that is wrong, but the love of money for its own sake."
"It may be the cock that crows, but it is the hen that lays the eggs."
"It pays to know the enemy - not least because at some time you may have the opportunity to turn him into a friend."
"No one would remember the Good Samaritan if he'd only had good intentions; he had money as well."
"Pennies do not come from heaven. They have to be earned here on earth."
"Standing in the middle of the road is very dangerous; you get knocked down by the traffic from both sides."
"There can be no liberty unless there is economic liberty."
"There is no such thing as society: there are individual men and women, and there are families."
"You don't tell deliberate lies, but sometimes you have to be evasive."
"What Britain needs is an iron lady."
"It's a funny old world."
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Update on Drug Resistance...
Seminar with Schreckenberger
Join us in warm and sunny Palm Springs for a full day seminar on antimicrobial resistance, ESBLs, KPCs, SMEs, and NDM-1; taught by Paul Schreckenberger, PhD from Loyola University Medical Center.
See Details....
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QUICK LINKS...
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Want to receive the MicroBytes
Newsletter
at home?
CLICK HERE
Want to review past issues
of MicroBytes?
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I
hate housework. You make the beds, you wash the dishes and six months later you have to start all over again.
~
Joan Rivers
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Did you know?
Hardy Diagnostics...
-
Manufactures over
3,000 products
for microbiology for you to choose from.
-
Stocks over
13,000 laboratory products
to incr
-
Is celebrating its 31
st
year of serving microbiologists.
-
ease your selection of items.
-
Maintains seven distribution centers in the U.S. for faster turn around time to your lab.
-
Is
ISO 13485
certified for the manufacture of medical devices to give you confidence in our products.
-
Offers you its technical manual,
HUGO
, which contains over 4,500 pages of information regarding microbiology.
-
Maintains a worldwide network of over 30
distributors.
Send a
message to the president
.
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Micro Musings..
"You talk to him...
he says he doesn't want to eat oil spills!"
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Case History #6
From Dr. Joe DiPersio...
Can you name this pathogen?
A 70 year old retired surgeon born in Russia presented at our hospital ER with symptoms of abdominal cramping and diarrhea. Laboratory studies were ordered that included stool cultures and Ova and Parasite (O&P) exams. Stool cultures were negative, but the diagnosis was made quickly from the O&P exam below.
Questioning of the patient led to what was thought to be the probable source of the infection. His wife stated that he was particularly fond of a traditional Russian dish that she prepared for him.
What is the agent and how was it acquired?
See if you are right
...
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Parasites Transmitted
by Blood Transfusions
There have been at least 159 cases of babesiosis as a result of tainted blood transfusions in the last 30 years. This number could be far larger due to the difficulty in diagnosing this disease.
Babesia
is the foremost cause of transfusion related infectious disease in America.
Babesia
is a malaria-like parasite that infects red blood cells.
Giemsa stain
of
Babesia microti
in red blood cells - often confused with
Plasmodium falciparum
(malaria). (CDC photo)
The Babesia organism is usually transmitted to humans by the deer tick (Ixodes spp.), the same vector as Lyme disease, and causes flu-like symptoms such as fever, headaches, fatigue, chills, and profuse sweating.
The bite of the deer tick (
Ixodes
spp.) is the mode of transmission for both
Babesia
spp. and
Borrelia burgdorferi
(Lyme disease).
Most cases occur in the Northeast and Midwest. This disease becomes quite serious or fatal for the elderly, infants, or those that are immuno-compromised.
Many cases are asymptomatic, which is why some infected individuals unwittingly donate their blood. Blood units are not currently screened for
Babesia
, since the tests are not cost effective and are lacking in sensitivity.
For the patient, a diagnosis can be made from a
giesma
stained thin blood smear, Immunofluorescent Antibody (IFA), or PCR tests on whole blood.
Many cases of babesiosis resolve without treatment, however quinine, azithromycin, clindamycin, and atavaquone can be effective.
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The Debt Watch...
What is the true
rate of inflation?
The Current
Consumer Price Index (CPI) is
published
monthly
by the Federal Bureau of Labor Statistics (
BLS
). In December of 2011, they reported the annual inflation rate for the average consumer to be 3%.
Think about it...have your costs only gone up only 3% this past year? If the CPI were calculated by the BLS using the same methods as it did in 1990, the current CPI would be over 6%! Compare that to the average salary increase for 2011 of 3%. Currently, the BLS manipulates the CPI by adjusting it downwards to allow for trends in consumer behavior to maintain a fixed standard of living, for example choosing T-bone rather than filet mignon steak when the prices increase. This lower CPI means that the Social Security payments will be less. It also makes the GDP appear to be better than it really is.
Which method is correct?
More details on the original method of calculation.
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...so they must be good for you.
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Take the MicroBytes Survey...
Should we abandon the electoral college and elect our next president by popluar vote?
Electoral College votes from the presidential election of 2008.
538 electors in the Electoral College will pick the next President of the United States this year. Whoever gets 270 votes will win. Generally (with the exception of Maine and Nebraska), each state appoints its electors on a
"winner-take-all"
basis as a result of the statewide popular vote on
Election
Day
. This system, created by the Founding Fathers in the Constitution, accentuates t
he importance of key swing states.
Although many attempts have been made to abolish this archaic system, Congress has never approved.
|
See the survey results...
Do you believe that
man-made global climate change
is a serious problem
?
There has been much debate and controversy regarding the increase in CO2 levels due to emissions from
fossil fuel
combustion,
ozone depletion
, animal agriculture, and
deforestation
. Is this something we should be concerned about to the point of taking action?
Find out
what your fellow MicroBytes readers thought about this controversial subject...
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Advice from the Founders...
"The natural liberty of man
is to be free from any superior power on Earth,
and not to be under the will
or legislative authority of man,
but only to have the law of nature for his rule."
Samuel Adams
1722 ~ 1802
Massachusetts politician, American statesmen,
political philosopher
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Seeing is Bel
ieving?
Fist or Mother and Child?
_______
"Believe half of what you see
and none of what you hear."
~ Marvin Gaye
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"Before you embark
on a journey of revenge,
dig two graves."
Confucius
Chinese Philosopher
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We're giving away one
free kindle
every month to those who "like us"!
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