Diagnosing Infections Linked to Heart Attacks

New diagnostic culture media and rapid identification kits include products for a speedier identification of common respiratory and urinary infections, which are being associated with an increased risk of heart problems.

Recent research has revealed that inflammation caused by common respiratory and urinary tract infections such as bronchitis, pneumonia, and cystitis may contribute to a higher risk of heart attack and stroke. The greatest risk appears to occur in the earliest stage of infection. Thus, rapid identification of the organisms responsible for infections can assist the early diagnosis and prompt administration of appropriate antimicrobial therapy.

Among the rapid tests available from Oxoid (Basingstoke, UK) is the Oxoid Dryspot Pneumo test, which provides a fast and simple screening for Streptococcus pneumoniae, a primary cause of bacterial pneumonia.

Also, the Oxoid Chromogenic UTI (urinary tract infection) Medium uses color to enhance the presumptive identification of the main organisms that are responsible for urinary tract infections. By providing this specific and easily-visualized differentiation on a single culture plate, Oxoid UTI Medium reduces the need for sub-culturing and lengthy identification procedures, even when more than one species is present in the sample.




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