B.CAT CONFIRM (Scott Laboratories, Inc., Fiskeville, R.I.), a rapid test for detection of tributyrin hydrolysis, was evaluated for its ability to identify strains of Branhamella catarrhalis and to differentiate them from Neisseria species and related species. On initial testing, B.CAT CONFIRM was positive for 65 (96%) of 68 B. catarrhalis strains within 30 min after inoculation. Retesting of th...

The Phadebact Monoclonal GC OMNI Test (Pharmacia Diagnostics, Piscataway, N.J.) is used for the definitive identification of Neisseria gonorrhoeae. In this test, boiled organisms are examined by using a 1-min coagglutination technique. A total of 776 Neisseria strains, confirmed to the species level by patterns of acid production from carbohydrates incorporated in cysteine-tryptose agar or morp...

Test Driven Development (TDD) is a critical agile software development practice that supports innovation in short development cycles. However, TDD is one of the most challenging agile practices to adopt because it requires changes to work practices and skill sets. It is therefore important to gain an understanding of TDD through the experiences of those who have successfully adopted this practi...

Ruling out disease often requires expensive or potentially harmful confirmation testing. For such testing, a less invasive triage test is often used. Intuitively, few negative confirmatory tests suggest success of this approach. However, if negative confirmation tests become too rare, too many disease cases could have been missed. It is therefore important to know how many negative tests are ne...

Extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) production in members of the Enterobacteriaceae can confer resistance to extended-spectrum cephalosporins, aztreonam, and penicillin. As such, the accurate detection of ESBL producers is essential for the appropriate selection of antibiotic therapy. Twenty previously characterized isolates and 49 clinical isolates suspected of ESBL production were tested ...