Nationwide Survey of Stool Culture Methods for the Diagnosis of Bacterial Gastroenteritis in Korea, 2016

Jung-Hyun Byun; Soo In Oh; Hyunwoong Park; Sunjoo Kim; Jeong-Hwan Shin

doi:10.15263/jlmqa.2017.39.1.23

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J Lab Med Qual Assur 2017; 39(1): 23-30

Published online March 31, 2017

https://doi.org/10.15263/jlmqa.2017.39.1.23

Nationwide Survey of Stool Culture Methods for the Diagnosis of Bacterial Gastroenteritis in Korea, 2016

Jung-Hyun Byun¹, Soo In Oh², Hyunwoong Park², Sunjoo Kim¹, Jeong-Hwan Shin³

¹Department of Laboratory Medicine, Gyeongsang National University School of Medicine, Jinju, Korea,
²Department of Laboratory Medicine, Changwon Gyeongsang National University Hospital, Changwon, Korea,
³Department of Laboratory Medicine, Inje University Busan Paik Hospital, Busan, Korea

Correspondence to:Sunjoo Kim Department of Laboratory Medicine, Gyeongsang National University School of Medicine, 79 Gangnam-ro, Jinju 52727, Korea Tel: +82-55-214-3072 Fax: +82-55-214-3089 E-mail: sjkim8239@hanmail.net
김선주 우)52727 진주시 강남로 79, 경상대학교 의과대학 진단검사의학교실 Tel: 055)214-3072, Fax: 055)214-3089, E-mail: sjkim8239@hanmail.net

Received: November 8, 2016; Revised: January 3, 2017; Accepted: January 4, 2017

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Abstract

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Abstract

Background:

Stool cultures are essential for diagnosing bacterial gastrointestinal infections. Laboratory procedures and target organisms for stool culture testing can vary by institute. Therefore, a nationwide survey was conducted to determine the stool culture procedures performed in clinical laboratories of Korea.

Methods:

Questionnaires were delivered by electronic mail to 98 clinical micro biologists and by Google survey to the 301 institutes participating in the Korean External Quality Control Program of Bacterial Cultures.

Results:

Of the 68 institutes sent complete responses, Gram staining and wet smears were performed in 73.5% and 64.7%, respectively. A molecular test was conducted in 32.4% of laboratories, and blood agar plates were used in 23.5%. Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Candida species were reported for predominant growth by 17.6%, 8.8%, and 7.4% of the respondents, respectively. Campylobacter culture was available only in 25.0% of laboratories, whereas Clostridium difficile could be cultivated in 38.2%. Susceptibility testing results of Salmonella-Shigella were reported for all tested antibiotics in 22.1% of laboratories, whereas 69.1% reported results for antibiotics specified by the Clinical and Laboratory Standard Institute guidelines.

Conclusions:

Methods and results of gram staining, wet smears, use of stool culture media, target microorganisms, and antibiotic susceptibility differed among the institutes. Further discussion is needed to develop a standardized protocol for stool culture to maximize isolation of bacterial pathogens that cause gastroenteritis.

Keywords: Gastrointestinal, Diarrhea, Practice guideline, Surveys