Pinning Down Pleural Effusion: Prelude to a Revolution

04/04/12 • 5 min

Dr. John Bartlett discusses the article “Systematic Use of Universal 16S rRNA Gene Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) and Sequencing for Processing Pleural Effusions Improves Conventional Culture Techniques." Exciting new molecular techniques are being developed that will be able to identify the total bacteriology of almost any specimen. The microbiology lab of the future will look very different; agar plates may be obsolete. Clinicians can look forward to getting an etiologic diagnosis within hours rather than days, leading to better targeting of antibiotic treatment. See ya, seaweed!

Previous Episode

Will You Be My Panton-Valentine Leukocidin Exotoxin?

In this episode, Dr. John Bartlett recaps the rise and fall of the Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL) exotoxin as a suspect in high mortality and devastating infections related to methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). The story starts in France and goes global, with a stop in the locker room of the St. Louis Rams football team! Find out why PVL is still important today.

Next Episode

Chikungunya: A Long-Term Perspective

Dr. John Bartlett talks about long-term sequelae of chikungunya viral infection, the limitation of self-reporting, and the serendipity that sometimes results in medical epidemiologic discovery.