Assessment of microbiological diagnostic procedures for respiratory specimens from cystic fibrosis patients in German laboratories by use of a questionnaire

J Clin Microbiol. 2014 Mar;52(3):977-9. doi: 10.1128/JCM.02866-13. Epub 2014 Jan 3.

Abstract

Respiratory specimens from cystic fibrosis (CF) patients challenge microbiological laboratories with their complexity of pathogens and atypical variants. We evaluated the diagnostic procedures in German laboratories by use of a questionnaire. Although most laboratories followed guidelines, some of them served only a small number of patients, while others did not use the recommended selective agars to culture the particular CF-relevant species.

MeSH terms

  • Cystic Fibrosis / complications*
  • Germany
  • Humans
  • Laboratories
  • Microbiological Techniques / methods*
  • Microbiological Techniques / statistics & numerical data*
  • Respiratory Tract Infections / diagnosis*
  • Respiratory Tract Infections / microbiology
  • Surveys and Questionnaires