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Expected Pathogens From Common Body Sites/Specimens, continued
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Expected Pathogens From Common Body Sites/Specimens, continued
Body Site/Specimen
Organism(s) Commonly Expected
Comments
Genital
Neisseria
gonorrhoeae
: Intracellular gram-negative diplococci (GNDC)
Yeast: Large ovals with budding forms and hyphae
Gardnerella
species: Small, gram-variable or gram-negative coccobacilli
Pseudomonas
and enterics such as
E. coli
: Gram-negative rods (GNRs)
Streptococcus
species: Gram-positive cocci (GPC) in pairs and chains
Staphylococcus
species: GPC in clusters and tetrads
Lactobacillus
species: Gram-variable or gram-positive, pleomorphic rods or coccobacilli
Normal genital flora includes GPC, GPRs, and GNRs.
Normal urethral flora includes corynebacteria, COAG-negative staphylococci, and anaerobes.
In women of reproductive age, normal flora (NF) of the genital tract includes
Enterobacteriaceae
, anaerobes, staphylococci, and streptococci.
Lactobacilli are predominant in healthy vaginal secretions.
In prepubescent and postmenopausal women, NF of the genital tract includes primarily staphylococci and corynebacteria.
Intracellular GNDC are diagnostic for gonorrhea in urethral discharge and presumptive in vaginal discharge. Saprophytic GNDC exist in the female genital tract.
Streptococcus agalactiae
(group B beta-hemolytic streptococci) may be carried by many women and transmitted to the neonate.
Joint
Staphylococcus
: GPC in clusters and tetrads
Streptococcus
: GPC in pairs and chains
Neisseria
: GNDC
Haemophilus
: Pale pink gram-negative coccobacilli (GNCB)
Enteric GNRs, such as
E. coli
Generally, only 1 morphotype is expected in sterile body sites.
S. aureus
is the most common pathogen recovered in septic arthritis.
N. gonorrhoeae
is the most frequently isolated organism in adults under the age of 30 with septic arthritis.
H. influenzae
is the most common pathogen in children less than two with infectious arthritis, followed by
S. aureus
.
Common pathogens also include group A and B streptococci, pneumococci, and viridans streptococci, as well as anaerobes such as
Bacteroides
and
Fusobacterium
.
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