Microbiology and infective disease

Infective disease remains one of the main healthcare burdens faced by both the developing and the developed world. Control of infective outbreaks proves challenging in terms of  

Pathogenic (capable of causing disease) organisms include bacteria, viruses, and yeasts. 

Despite the use of broad spectrum antimicrobial therapy, 10-30% of patients still receive inappropriate antibiotics, which may impact on mortality. 

It is in the ICU patients where appropriate antimicrobial therapy can lead to a 30-60% reduction in mortality rates. Furthermore, despite adequate antimicrobial therapy, mortality rates amongst patients with microbiologically conflrmed infections are statistically greater when compared to patients with no 

In this chapter we have placed studies using vibrational spectroscopy in a clinical context, indicating the potential for the future and for strong basic science/clinical alliances to be made to ensure that the promise seen in this area is translated through to clinical practice. 

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The Jordan Report 2000, Accelerated Development of Vaccines, Division of Microbiology and Infections Diseases, National Institutes of Health. Washington DC, http //www.niaid.nih.gov/publications/pdf/ jordan.pdf... 

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