Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

Diagnostic methods

2002; Elsevier BV; Volume: 16; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1016/s0891-5520(02)00002-8

1557-9824

Michael Towns, L. Barth Reller,

Streptococcal Infections and Treatments

This article addresses the clinical need for accurate detection of bacteria and fungi that may cause infective endocarditis (IE). The pathophysiology of bacteremia during endocarditis is reviewed to provide an understanding of how current diagnostic methods may be used to determine the etiologic diagnosis. The critical contribution of microbiologic findings to the current clinical diagnostic criteria is emphasized. Finally, "best practices" recommendations are presented to optimize the likelihood of reaching a correct etiologic diagnosis while minimizing the number of "culture-negative" cases.