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Research Article| Volume 16, ISSUE 3, P677-695, September 1996

Work Flow and Optional Protocols for Laboratories in Industrialized Countries

  • Phyllis Della-Latta
    Correspondence
    Address reprint requests to: Phyllis Della-Latta, PhD, Clinical Microbiology Service, Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center, 622 West 168 Street, New York, NY 10032
    Affiliations
    From the Clinical Microbiology Service and the Mycology Resource Center, Columbia- Presbyterian Medical Center; and the Department of Clinical Pathology in Medicine, The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University, New York, New York
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      The algorithm of the mycobacteriology laboratory of the 1990s relies heavily on growth-dependent procedures that are slow and labor-intensive. The introduction of nucleic acid-based direct amplification tests portends the development of laboratories in which molecular diagnostic assays will prevail. Financial constraints mandate an interdisciplinary approach to establishing clinical pathways and rational tailoring of current protocols to curtail expensive overuse of dwindling resources.
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