In a hotel at Plaza de la Independencia, the big square between downtown and the historical city (Ciudad Vieja) of Montevideo, the 20th Latin American Congress of Microbiology (ALAM) took place on 27–30 September 2010 [www.alam2010.org.uy]. ALAM 2010 brought together some 1000 microbiologists from 19 countries, including 12 Latin American countries (Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Cuba, C...

Although mass spectrometry is making its mark on all facets of clinical laboratory medicine, arguably no field is witnessing its impact more than clinical microbiology. The application of MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) to microbial identification is revolutionizing clinical microbiology by providing rapid identification with minimal samplepreparationatapotentialsavings in costs. Acr...

In a hotel at Plaza de la Independencia, the big square between downtown and the historical city (Ciudad Vieja) of Montevideo, the 20th Latin American Congress of Microbiology (ALAM) took place on 27–30 September 2010 [www.alam2010.org.uy]. ALAM 2010 brought together some 1000 microbiologists from 19 countries, including 12 Latin American countries (Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Cuba, C...

The food industry is constantly evolving due to environmental, social, and geopolitical factors [...]

The role of microbiology laboratories in the care of patients with suspected or known infections has been described in previous articles in this series of medical microbiology updates. This review addresses the broader role of clinical microbiology laboratories in the quality of care and patient safety. The importance of microbiology laboratories in the care of patients with infectious diseases...

Understanding the Maxam-Gilbert and Sanger sequencing as the first generation, in recent years there has been an explosion of newly-developed sequencing strategies, which are usually referred to as next generation sequencing (NGS) techniques. NGS techniques have high-throughputs and produce thousands or even millions of sequences at the same time. These sequences allow for the accurate identifi...