Library

Microbiology

This area accounts for 17–22% of the ASCP Board of Certification MLS examination. LatticeMLS is independently written and operated. It is not affiliated with, sponsored by, endorsed, or approved by the ASCP or its Board of Certification.

Preanalytic Procedures

  1. Specimen Collection, Transport, and Primary Processing in MicrobiologyCollection, transport, rejection, biosafety, direct smears, media, inoculation, and incubation decisions determine whether a culture recovers the organisms that are actually present.

Blood and Bone Marrow

  1. Blood Cultures and Gram-Positive Blood IsolatesBlood-culture volume, collection pattern, bottle monitoring, and isolate identification determine which gram-positive recoveries represent bloodstream infection.
  2. Gram-Negative, Fastidious, and Vector-Borne Agents of Bloodstream InfectionGram-negative and fastidious blood isolates require organism-specific identification, and several vector-borne agents of bloodstream infection are diagnosed by serology, blood smear, or molecular testing.

Sterile Body Fluids and the Eye

  1. Cerebrospinal Fluid and Sterile Body Fluid CulturesCerebrospinal fluid and other normally sterile body fluids demand immediate processing, concentration before smear and culture, rapid antigen and molecular testing, and careful separation of true pathogens from skin contaminants.