Assessing the survival of an MT school.

A three-part analysis determined the cost of continuing to train medical technology students, lab staff commitment to the program, and labor supply and demand trends in the area.

Isolation of Legionella pneumophila from clinical specimens: salutary effects of lung tissue dilution.

Diagnosis of legionnaires' disease is seldom confirmed by isolation of Legionella pneumophila. In 2 cases, isolates were obtained using inoculums of diluted lung tissue suspension, even though no growth ocurred when undiluted suspensions were used. It is speculated that tissue dilution decreases the concentration of antimicrobial agents and antibacterial properties associated with lung host defense mechanisms, which allows improved recovery rates.

Legionnaires' disease serology. Effect of antigen preparation on specificity and sensitivity of the indirect fluorescent antibody test.

Sera from 31 Legionnaires' disease (LD) survivors of the Philadelphia outbreak, 31 Legionnaire (L) controls, and 300 additional controls were examined for the presence of specific antibodies to five antigen preparations of Legionella pneumophila (serogroup 1) to determine the effect of antigen preparation on the sensitivity and specificity of the indirect immunofluorescence test. Diagnostic levels were determined for each antigen at the upper limit of normal value (ULNV) titre, which established the titre not exceeded by 85% of controls. Antigens were prepared from formalin-killed L.