Aren't you curious about whether the cases are related? Please rethink your choice before continuing to Section 1B. [Close]
You decide you will test for the same organisms on all the specimens, even though this is not specified by the physicians who ordered the tests. Maybe there is a connection. Please rethink your choice before continuing to Section 1B. [Close]
Although you are receiving specimens from different doctors requesting different tests and there may be no connection between these cases, you interest is piqued. You decide to read about how an investigation might proceed. Please continue to Section 1B for further investigation. [Close]
1A ROLE INTRODUCTION: LAB
PROFESSIONAL
You are coming to the
end of a busy 8-hour shift in the I.D. lab. You
got your share of rapid streps, wet mounts, throat,
urine and sputum cultures, and you spent several
hours identifying bacterial colonies that have been
incubating for 12-72 hours. You also received three
stool cultures from the E.D. for acute, bloody diarrhea--unusual
for one day; and you have been notified that there
will be at least two, and possibly three cultures
from acute abdomen cases going to the O.R. Although
the lab slips don't specify the suspected bacterial
or viral agents, you are considering E.Coli, shigella,
salmonella, campylobacter, and yersinia, and you
proceed to check for white cells and to plate out
the specimens.
You take a look at the lab slips
to see if you can note any connection between
these patients, but you detect none.
Based on this information you:
Are happy
your shift is over and you can go home now.
Are curious about
whether these cases are related.
Are very concerned,
because of the severity of the illness, the number
of cases, and the potential for a more widespread
problem (this may be an infectious disease, after
all).
