Microbiology

The Division of Clinical Microbiology at Mayo Clinic offers a broad selection of tests designed for rapid identification of the causative agents of infectious diseases and prompt reporting of results. Our laboratory has developed and/or implemented culture techniques, immunoassays, and molecular methods for rapid detection and identification of common as well as unusual microbial pathogens. Serologic testing is also available for confirmation of infections by demonstrating the presence of specific antibody responses.

Other features:

• Complete range of organism identification and susceptibility testing for bacteria and fungi
• Expert consultants in areas of bacteriology, molecular microbiology, mycology, mycobacteriology, parasitology, virology (including HIV and hepatitis viruses), and infectious disease serology
• State-of-the-art BSL3 facilities for manipulating Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex and filamentous fungi
• Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis of bacterial isolates (eg, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, vancomycin-resistant enterococci) useful for demonstrating strain differences among isolates and
  epidemiologic studies of nosocomial infections
• Extensive experience in routine detection of DNA of herpesviruses (cytomegalovirus, Epstein-Barr virus, herpes simplex virus, and varicella-zoster virus) in cerebrospinal fluid by PCR
• Rapid detection of most mycobacteria within 7 to 10 days and identification of some species within 1 day using nucleic acid probes (BSL3 facility)
• Qualitative and quantitative detection and genotyping of hepatitis C virus
• Qualitative and quantitative detection of hepatitis B virus
• Determination of viral load and drug-resistance mutation of type-1 HIV
• Consolidated Infectious Disease Serology Laboratory (bacterial, fungal, parasitic, and viral infections)
• Rapid identification of dimorphic fungi using nucleic acid probes
• Immunoassays for the diagnosis of parasitic infections including rapid detection of Giardia, Cryptosporidium, and Entamoeba histolytica antigens in stool and antibodies to Babesia, Taenia (cysticercosis), Echinococcus, Strongyloides, Toxoplasma, Trichinella, Trypanosoma, and Leishmania (visceral form) in serum
  • Stool antigens, breath test, and serology tests available
  for detection of Helicobacter pylori infections
  • Nucleic acid testing (bDNA, PCR, strand displacement
  amplification, transcription-mediated amplification,
  signal amplification) for several microbial agents:
  • Chlamydia trachomatis (genital)
  • Hepatitis B virus (qualitative, quantitative)
  • Hepatitis C virus (qualitative, quantitative, genotyping)
  • HIV (quantitative, genotyping, phenotypicresistance
    prediction)
  • Human papillomavirus
  • Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (transcription-mediated amplification)
  • Neisseria gonorrhoeae (genital)
• Identification of selected mycobacteria, aerobic actinomycetes, and bacteria using DNA sequencing
• LightCycler™ PCR for rapid detection of:
  • Anaplasma phagocytophilum (agent of human granulocytic anaplasmosis)
  • Babesia microti
  • Bartonella species
  • BK virus (plasma, urine, qualitative, quantitative)
  • Bordetella pertussis/Bordetella parapertussis
  • Borrelia burgdorferi
  • Clostridium difficile
  • Coccidioides immitis/posadasii
  • Cytomegalovirus (qualitative, quantitative)
  • Ehrlichia chaffeensis (agent of human monocytic ehrlichiosis), Ehrlichia ewingii/Ehrlichia canis
  • Enterovirus
  • Epstein-Barr virus (qualitative, quantitative)
  • Herpes simplex virus types 1 & 2 (genital and dermal)
  • Human herpesvirus-6
  • Influenza virus types A and B
  • JC virus (cerebrospinal fluid)
  • Malaria
  • Parvovirus
  • Plasmodium (malaria)
  • Pneumocystis jirovecii
  • Toxoplasma gondii (amniotic fluid, cerebrospinal fluid)
  • Tropheryma whipplei (Whipple’s disease)
  • Vancomycin-resistant enterococci
  • Varicella-zoster virus (dermal)
  • West Nile virus