Medical Microbiology Taxonomy and Nomenclature

Author: Julie Ann West, PhD, MLS(ASCP)CM, SM(ASCP)CM
Reviewer: Amanda Reed, M.A.E., MLS(ASCP)CM
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Continuing Education Credits

P.A.C.E.® Contact Hours: 2 hour(s)

Florida Board of Clinical Laboratory Science CE Credit Hours

Florida Board of Clinical Laboratory Science CE - General (Microbiology/Mycology/Parasitology): 1.5 hour(s)

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Objectives

  • Discuss the importance of remaining current with taxonomic updates and nomenclature.
  • Define the terms taxonomy, classification, and nomenclature.
  • Describe the scientific writing style and rules for medical microbiology.
  • List the main challenges to using the most currently available taxonomy and nomenclature.
  • State specific ways in which the microbiology laboratory may remain current, using interactive websites and publications.
  • List several examples of recent taxonomy/nomenclature changes and how they affect clinical medicine.
  • Explain how to notify staff, medical providers, and stakeholders when the microbiology laboratory has incorporated updated taxonomy/nomenclature.

Course Outline

  • Content Pages
    • Introduction
      • Rapidly Changing Names in Medical Microbiology
      • Background
      • Recent test methodologies, such as molecular diagnostics and microbiome analysis, have been instrumental in creating a naming system based on what classification?
      • The bacterial nomenclature system proposed by Carl Linnaeus was based on:
    • Terminology
      • Terminology
      • Taxonomy
      • Classification
      • Nomenclature
      • Select the true statement from the answers provided below:
      • Classification is:
    • Scientific Style
      • Scientific Writing Style of Taxonomy and Nomenclature
      • Bacteria and Mycobacteria
      • Fungi
      • Viruses
      • Parasites
      • Molecular
      • Which scientific style represented below is incorrect?
      • Which representation provided below is correct?
      • When representing molecular designations, two important stylistic rules include gene designations being italicized and what other rule?
    • Stay Current: Importance and Challenges
      • Pressing Challenges and Concerns
      • New Accreditation Checklist Requirements
      • Changes in CLSI Breakpoint Assignments
      • Manufacturer Device Updates
      • Laboratory Information Systems
      • Epidemiology Reporting Systems
      • Stakeholder Concerns
      • Which accreditation checklist requirement is important for a laboratory to be compliant?
      • Regarding the laboratory's role in using updated antimicrobial susceptibility breakpoints:
      • Select the true statement regarding manufacturer device updates.
    • How to Stay Current
      • Resources
      • Publications
      • Interactive Websites
      • How do medical microbiology laboratories remain current concerning important taxonomic/nomenclature changes?
      • Select the true statement from the answer choices provided.
    • Recent Nomenclature Updates and Example Cases
      • The Order Enterobacterales
      • Bacteria and Mycobacteria
      • Fungi
      • Viruses and Parasites
      • Example Cases and Implications
      • Example Case: Brucella anthropi
      • Example Case: Klebsiella aerogenes
      • Example Case: Aggregatibacter aphrophilus
      • The family Enterobacteriaceae contains representatives of the following genera:
      • Select the inaccurate choice from the nomenclature examples provided:
      • What statement is true about Brucella anthropi?
    • Communication, Notification Strategies, and Possible Implications
      • Communication: Who and How to Notify
      • Laboratory Staff
      • Medical Providers
      • Other Stakeholders
      • All of the following are important communication and notification strategies for laboratory staff, except:
      • Which of the following is not an important stakeholders in a multidisciplinary approach to changes in nomenclature?
    • New Tools to Help
      • New Tools
      • CLSI M64
      • Breakpoint Implementation Toolkit
      • American Society for Microbiology Updates
      • The new CLSI document M64 is called:
      • What is the CLSI Breakpoint Implementation Toolkit (BIT)?
      • All of the following are true regarding the new resource available by American Society for Microbiology (ASM), except:
    • References
      • References

Additional Information

Level of Instruction: Basic
Intended Audience: Medical laboratory scientists, medical laboratory technicians, laboratory supervisors, and laboratory managers. This course is also appropriate for MLS and MLT students and pathology residents.
Author Information: Dr. Julie Ann West is certified by the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) as a Medical Laboratory Scientist (MLS) and as a Specialist in Microbiology (SM). In addition, Dr. West has earned a PhD in Public Health - Epidemiology Specialization (emphasis on infectious disease) - and is Certified in Public Health (CPH) by the National Board of Public Health Examiners. Dr. West is experienced as a Technical Specialist, Safety Officer, Educator, and Lead in the Veterans Administration Healthcare System and has prior experience as an Administrative Laboratory Director.
Reviewer Information: Amanda Reed, M.A.E., MLS(ASCP)CM is a Program Director and faculty member of the Medical Laboratory Science Program at Saint Louis University. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Biology and a Master of Arts in Education from Truman State University. After teaching a variety of high school science courses ranging from freshman biology to environmental science to basic chemistry and conceptual physics, she decided to pursue a degree in Clinical Laboratory Science from Saint Louis University. Amanda earned a Bachelor of Science in Clinical Laboratory Science and worked in the Microbiology Lab at Barnes-Jewish Hospital. She left the hospital in 2012 to combine her love of teaching and laboratory. Her interests center around the integration of classroom technology and student laboratory experiences in the field of medical laboratory science.
Course Description: This microbiology-focused course addresses recent changes in medical microbiology taxonomy and nomenclature before and since the genomic revolution. Medical laboratories must consider proper terminology and ways to remain current to ensure the application of correct antimicrobial susceptibility breakpoints, as described in CAP checklist items MIC.11375 and MIC.11385. However, doing so may disrupt stakeholder data collection and reporting mechanisms in many other areas of health care. These challenges, as well as ways for microbiology laboratories to remain current, are discussed. Pertinent examples and information on how best to notify medical providers and stakeholders upon nomenclature revision are provided.