Articles on Medical Diseases and Conditions

The most useful laboratory classification of bacteria involves a threefold distinction: the Gram stain characteristics (gram positive or gram negative), morphology (coccus or bacillus), and oxygen requirements for growth (aerobic or anaerobic). Species exist that are morphologic exceptions, such as spirochetes; others are intermediate in oxygen requirements; still others are identified by other techniques, such […]

Interpretation of laboratory test results is much more complicated than simply comparing the test result against a so-called normal range, labeling the test values normal or abnormal according to the normal range limits, and then fitting the result into patterns that indicate certain diseases. Certain basic considerations underlie interpretation of any test result and often […]