For bloodstream infection testing, don’t forget the fungal pathogens

 By Chris Gardner

 LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Upon completion of this article, the reader will be able to:

  1. List the different types of bloodstream infections currently infecting patients.
  2. Discuss healthcare statistics among bloodstream infections.
  3. Identify fungal blood stream infections and discuss the need to rapidly identify them.
  4. Discuss the importance of adding fungal pathogen ID panels to molecular testing platforms.

About the Author

Chris Gardner is Director of Product Marketing at Luminex, a DiaSorin company, responsible for gastrointestinal, blood culture, and other infectious disease tests. He has extensive experience in molecular diagnostics for a wide range of healthcare applications.

Photo credit:  CDC/ Antibiotic Resistance Coordination and Strategy Unit

Not Enrolled

Course Includes

  • 1 Article
  • 1 Test
  • Course Certificate
  • MLO and Northern Illinois University (NIU), DeKalb, IL, are co-sponsors in offering continuing education units (CEUs) for this issue’s CE article. CEUs or contact hours are granted by the College of Health and Human Sciences at Northern Illinois University, which has been approved as a provider of continuing education programs in the clinical laboratory sciences by the ASCLS P.A.C.E.® program. Continuing education credits awarded for successful completion of this test are acceptable for the ASCP Board of Registry Continuing Competence Recognition Program. Readers who pass the test successfully (scoring 70% or higher) will receive a certificate for 1 contact hour of P.A.C.E.® credit. The fee for this continuing education test is $20. This test was prepared by Amanda Voelker, MPH, MT(ASCP), MLS, Clinical Education Coordinator, School of Health Studies, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL.

    Level of Instruction:
    Passing scores of 70 percent or higher are eligible for contact hour of P.A.C.E. credit. This test is no longer valid for CEUs after .

    NIU is approved as a provider of continuing education programs in the clinical laboratory sciences by the ASCLS P.A.C.E. ® Program.