An audit of microbiology laboratory utilization: the diagnosis of infection in orthopedic surgery.

OBJECTIVE: To analyse the quality of ordering, collection and transport of specimens for microbiological analysis by a department of orthopedic surgery. METHODS: The analysis consisted of a prospective formal evaluation performed by two consultant microbiologists. RESULTS: One hundred and seventeen consecutive requests were audited.

Diagnosis and treatment of 409 patients with prostatitis syndromes.

We reviewed 409 patients who had prostatitis syndromes during the period 1985-1991. Urine analysis, x-ray film of abdomen, and sonograms of the kidneys did not contribute to the diagnosis of prostatitis. In 22 percent of the urine samples, slight-to-moderate atypia was seen in urine cytology but no malignancy was found.

[Is Chlamydia TWAR of significance in The Netherlands?].

Chlamydia TWAR is as a newly recognised organism that causes respiratory tract infection with human-to-human transmission. Our sero-epidemiological study showed that in The Netherlands prevalence of TWAR antibodies is very low in children under the age of five years, increases after beginning of school age until adolescence, and remains high (80%) during adulthood. It is known that Chlamydia TWAR can cause acute lower respiratory tract infection.