Infectious Diseases Diagnosis Quiz

Proper Diagnosing of Infectious Diseases: Clinical Specimens and the Role of Healthcare Professionals

• Infectious diseases can be caused by organisms that are typically harmless or beneficial but can become harmful under certain circumstances.
• Infectious diseases can be transferred from person to person, spread by insects or animals, or contracted through contaminated food, water, or environmental organisms.
• The diagnosis of infectious diseases involves detecting bacteria, viruses, fungi, protozoa, or helminths in patients with compatible clinical illness using laboratory tests.
• Methods of detection include bacterial and fungal cultivation, virus isolation in cell culture, and biochemical, antigenic, or genetic identification of the agent.
• Detection can also be achieved through the identification of a specific immune response, usually antibodies, that develop during the course of illness.
• Proper diagnosing of infectious diseases involves taking a patient's history, conducting a physical examination, carefully evaluating signs and symptoms, and conducting appropriate laboratory tests.
• Clinical specimens are biological materials collected from humans and animals for diagnostic purposes, study, or analysis.
• Examples of clinical specimens include blood, urine, stool, semen, sputum, saliva, and tissues.
• Clinical specimens should be collected or transferred into a leak-proof primary container with a secure closure to avoid contamination.
• The role of healthcare professionals, such as nurses, doctors, microbiologists, and medical technologists, is crucial in the proper collection, labeling, and transport of clinical specimens to the laboratory.
• Healthcare professionals should exercise extreme caution to avoid injury and prevent the spread of disease during the collection and transport of clinical specimens.
• Medical technologists are mainly responsible for collecting and testing samples, verifying test results, and organizing tests appropriately.

Proper Diagnosing of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Specimens

• Infectious diseases are caused by microscopic organisms such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, or parasites that are passed from one person to another.
• Infectious diseases can be transferred through direct or indirect contact, insects, animals, contaminated water or food, or environmental exposure.
• Infectious diseases are diagnosed by detecting the presence of a specific organism in a patient with a compatible clinical illness.
• Detection methods include cultivation of bacteria and fungi, isolation of viruses, and identification of the agent biochemically, antigenically, or genetically.
• Infectious diseases can also be identified through the detection of a specific immune response, usually antibodies, that develop during the course of illness.
• Proper diagnosing of infectious diseases involves patient history, physical examination, appropriate laboratory tests, and proper selection, collection, and transport of clinical specimens.
• Clinical specimens are biological materials collected from humans and animals for diagnostic purposes, study, or analysis.
• Examples of clinical specimens include semen, sputum, stool, urine, saliva, oral fluid, sweat, secretions and tissues from the female reproductive system, samples from wounds and sores, hair, fingernail clippings, and other body fluids.
• Clinical specimens can also include blood, tissue biopsy, cerebrospinal fluid, and samples from within the body obtained through needle or excisional biopsy.
• According to the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute, all specimens should be collected or transferred into a leak-proof primary container with a secure closure and placed into a second container within the institution.
• Healthcare professionals, such as nurses and doctors, play a crucial role in the submission of clinical specimens, including proper collection, labeling, and delivery to the lab.
• Medical technologists are responsible for collecting and testing samples, verifying test results, and organizing tests appropriately for easy retrieval.