A positive dipstick urinalysis (i.e., leukocyte esterase test and/or nitrite test) did not reliably detect significant bacteriuria in 479 ambulatory women with suspected uncomplicated urinary tract infection; 18.9% of the urine samples that demonstrated significant bacteriuria would have been rejected by the laboratory based on a negative urinalysis screen.
The incremental benefits and costs of a rapid influenza A virus infection diagnostic service were studied in nursing homes in Calgary, Canada, during a single influenza season. The service was used to test 159 patients with suspected infection in a group of "experimental" nursing homes and results were compared with those for a group of "control" homes. An equal number of cases of influenza were identified in each group. Twenty-eight patients (17.6%) had confirmed cases, and 63 patients (39.6%) had probable cases. A rapid viral test result was provided much faster for patients in the experimental homes (P=.005). Both groups had the same median attack rate for influenza A virus. In experimental homes, the duration of the outbreak was shorter (P=.03), and the cost of laboratory testing and the total cost (less the hospital cost) tended to be lower (P<.2). The rapid testing service also tended to lower the overall use of resources.
The performance of BBL CHROMagar O157 (CHROM) versus that of sorbitol-MacConkey (SMAC) media for detection of Escherichia coli O157 was determined for a 3-month period. Results for 27/3,116 (0.9%) stool cultures were positive. CHROM had a higher sensitivity (96.30%) and negative predictive value (100%) and a better diagnostic efficiency than SMAC. Labor and material costs decreased when CHROM was used.
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