Webinars

Congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) is the most frequent infectious cause of neonatal malformation in developed nations. In light of this, congenital CMV diagnostic algorithms have garnered much discussion in the medical science community.

This two part presentation will provide an update on universal screening and targeted screening for neonates as well as a discussion on different specimen sample types and their respective clinical utility, which can impact the overall clinical diagnosis.

Objectives include:

• Describe the clinical presentation of congential CMV.
• Understand the difference between universal screening and targeted testing for congenital CMV.
• Recognize the difference in diagnostic methods and sample types for congenital CMV testing.

Ticks are currently considered to be second only to mosquitoes as vectors of human infectious diseases in the world. Each tick species has preferred environmental conditions and habitat that determine the geographic distribution of the ticks and, consequently, the risk areas for tick-borne diseases. Tick-borne diseases are becoming more frequently diagnosed as the cause of human infections as animal reservoirs and tick vectors have increased in numbers and humans have inhabited areas where reservoir and tick populations are high.

Objectives include:

• Ensure participants understand the new MTTT testing paradigm.
• Appreciate the prevalence of co-infections with more than one pathogen.
• Provide information on test ordering and interpretations for tick-borne diseases.

This presentation will address the fundamentals of congenital CMV in prevention, diagnosis and management. We will touch on some recent research, and how we can move forward to continue reducing the impact of congenital CMV globally.

Objectives include:

• Describe the clinical presentation of congenital CMV.
• Understand diagnosis and indications for testing and possibilities of screening.
• Recognize the opportunities for prevention, management and therapeutic strategies.
• Understand research strategies in development to reduce the global impact of congenital CMV.

This talk will cover clinical case perspectives on utilizing both molecular and serology tests for diagnosing COVID-19 active and past infections. Dr. Garner will discuss clinical lab testing algorithms for specific organism identification and immune response determination. The current CDC recommendations for utilizing both molecular and serology tests and how these can be practically employed by clinical laboratories will also be covered in this presentation.

Learning Objectives:

•  Identify current COVID-19 testing status and what might be next for laboratories in the US.
• Defining and fine tuning COVID-19 diagnostic algorithms for both a serological and molecular approach.
• Discuss current testing recommendations and their implementation by one clinical laboratory.

This talk will cover Candida auris infection, colonization, and spread through health care systems from a clinical case perspective. We will discuss clinical lab diagnostics for specific organism identification and how microbiology labs can implement both passive and active surveillance. The talk will also cover current CDC recommendations for limiting the spread of Candida auris.

Objectives include:

• Discuss the spread of Candida auris through health care systems.
• Describe how the microbiology laboratory can assist in limiting Candida auris infections.
• Detail the challenges in accurately identifying Candida auris from culture.

Meningitis is an infection of the meninges, the membranes that surround the brain and spinal cord. Encephalitis is inflammation of the brain itself. Anyone can get meningitis or encephalitis and causes include viruses, bacteria, fungus, and parasites. There are a number of diagnostic challenges for identification of patients with meningitis/encephalitis and there have been changes in the epidemiology in recent years. This presentation will review the different etiological agents that cause meningitis and encephalitis as well as provide an overview of the current tools available for diagnosis.

At the conclusion of the presentation, attendees will be able to:

• Describe the difference between meningitis and encephalitis and the challenges with diagnosis.
• Describe the most common causes of meningitis and encephalitis.
• Describe the diagnostic tools used to diagnose meningitis and encephalitis.

CE Units available through Labroots for 6 months after the live event.