Bacteriologist

A bacteriologist is a microbiologist or a professional^[1] trained in bacteriology, a subdivision of microbiology. The duties of a bacteriologist include prevention, diagnosis and prognosis of diseases, as well as health care, and they may carry out various functions such as epidemiological surveillance, quality auditing with biotechnology development, basic research, management and teaching related to the career, scientist management, laboratory coordination and blood banks.^[2]

Staphylococcus aureus (AB Test)

Official name

As the first acknowledged microscopist and microbiologist in history, Antonie van Leeuwenhoek was the first to undisputedly discover (observe), study, describe, conduct scientific experiments with a large array of microscopic organisms (including bacteria, which he called “animalcules”) and relatively determine their size, using single-lensed microscopes of his own design.^{[3][4][5][6][7][8]}

The name can vary depending on the official laws of each country and how they are established in the society and therefore they would have a different official name. Whether they have different official name among the countries, the background almost is similar.

Called Medical Laboratory Scientist or Bachelor of Science in the United States depending on their training, bacteriologists to homologate their title in the United States are called Bachelor of Bacteriology.

Aims

The main aim is to predict, diagnose and the disease surveillance by a massive range of laboratory tests, all of them in the context of health care. Hence, a bacteriologist plays a role in research, management of health care, promoting health and disease prevention.

There are plenty of methods and procedures used by the bacteriologist in the clinical laboratory whose purpose is the diagnosis of various diseases; some of these techniques are:

Techniques in Clinical Chemistry: used to determine various analyses in various biological fluids, different reagents are used to play colorimetric techniques and enzyme kinetics, among others. The result of these reactions were measured by spectrometer or other similar physical techniques to quantitatively determine the value of an analyte, so as measured quantitatively analytes such as creation, BUN, lipid profile, total protein, glucose, direct bilirubin and overall, among others.

Techniques in Immunology: many of the immunological techniques used in the clinical laboratory are based on the ability of antibodies to bind to specific antigens either in vitro or vivo, is how this feature that is exploited by the professional laboratory diagnose various diseases and/or semi-quantitative or quantitative determination of multiple analytes, among the multiple techniques used in immunology section include: immunology Test as ELISA (Enzyme-linked immunodeficient assay) for its acronym in English, with agglutination techniques latex particles coated with antibody or antigen, agglutination techniques, articulation chromatography techniques, microorganisms stereotyping techniques, fluorescence, among many others. Some of the tests performed in this section mentioned techniques are: rheumatoid factor, antinuclear antibodies by agglutination with latex particles, c-reactive protein, chromatography for determination of Human Chorionic Gonadotropin, HIV 1 and 2, hepatitis B virus, ELISA for determination of hormones and the presence of other microorganisms causing diseases among other tests.

Techniques in Microbiology: mainly used to determine infectious diseases the causative agent of the disease, regardless of whether it is caused by a bacterium, virus, fungi or parasites, bacteriologist through various colouration's, microscopic observation, specific crops for growth of each organism, biochemical tests whether manual, semi-automated or automated used to determine the genus and species of the organism causing the disease. A bacteriologist should be able to identify and name any parasitic observed microscopic structure; recently, antimicrobial susceptibility tests have become very important for the emergence of multi-resistant bacterial strains in the clinical microbiology section of the laboratory tests performed bacteriologists antimicrobial susceptibility to determine which antibiotics should treat various infectious diseases.

Techniques in Hematology: In section of Hematology, various examinations are performed as Table He mic, FSP (peripheral blood smear), reticulated count, observation and identification of parasites, determining blood type and RH, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, among others. Bacteriologists in specialized clinical laboratory haematology specialists perform more specific tests for diagnosis of hematologic diseases such as leukaemia, anaemia, regardless of aetiology or other genetic alterations by various techniques such wherein phenotype cell markers studies performed by flow optometry, molecular biology techniques molecular as electroscopes, PCR and other tests such as osmotic fragility, analysis of bone marrow aspirates, among others.

Techniques in Molecular Biology and Genetics: in specialized clinical laboratory services are included with molecular biology and genetics where the bacteriologist makes techniques such as chain reaction (PCR), electroscopes, Southern blot, Western blot, and DNA sequencing techniques genetically, among others, which can be quite useful for diagnosis of various diseases.

Techniques in Blood Bank and Transfusion Unit: Section blood bank and/or transfusion unit performs professional laboratory testing donated blood units to ensure they are in good condition to be transfused to a patient, tests are done as presence or absence of infectious agents that produce diseases such as HIV, Sagas disease, Hepatitis, HTLV I, syphilis and others. Equally prepared and necessary processes are separated by centrifugal units of RBCs, precipitate, and platelet units reductionist procedures, among others. Different unit processes in transfusion procedures are performed to measure the compatibility of the donor-recipient; the bacteriologist must verify the absence of antibodies that produce severe thrombolytic reactions at the time of transfusion between these procedures include: cross-match minor, major crosspatch, determining blood type and RH, direct Combs, Combos indirect detection of antibodies and antibodies.

All manual or automated procedures require the strictest quality control. Checks should be made internal and external quality, make the appropriate calibrations, maintenance of equipment when necessary and properly validate every bacteriologist should follow the protocols are conducted in the clinical laboratory for quality control concerns, besides being constantly updated theoretical and academic in this way make a correct clinical correlation and ensure the accuracy of the results reported to the doctor.

Some of the samples analyzed by bacteriologists are:

• Blood samples
• Samples of suppurative lesions
• Samples of cerebrospinal fluid
• Pleural fluid samples
• Samples of ascitic fluid
• Tissue infected
• Samples of synovial fluid
• Samples for urinalysis
• Samples for stool tests
• Samples of parasitic structures

Biosecurity

Biosecurity is the prevention of spread of potential pathogens, including unknown specimens. Bacteriologists work with differing equipment depending on the biosecurity level of their laboratory and the nature of work to be performed. This equipment may include: gown, masks, goggles, latex gloves, and biohazard cabinets. In laboratories containing highly dangerous microorganisms, bacteriologists use special biosafety suits.

Professional career

In Colombia, the training of bacteriologists is regulated by the Bacteriologist National School “Colegio Nacional de Bacteriólogo (CNB)”^[11] which determine whether the professional is ready or not to perform the professional career by the obtaining of a professional card. This function is regulated by Article 2 of Act 1193 of 2008 (which amends Act 841 of 2003), which determines; "The National Association of Bacteriologists assumes the functions of issuing of the professional card referred in Article 5 of Act, the Professional Cards, meanwhile inscriptions or records Bacteriologists will be issued by the Ministries of Health of the different departments"

“While the National Association of Bacteriologists acts as the issue of the professional card referred to in Article 5 of this Law, the Professional Cards, inscriptions or records Bacteriologists will be issued by the Ministries of Health of the different departments”^[2]

In Bioethical see National Court and Ethics Bacteriology know will handle disciplinary proceedings on appeal - Bioethics - ethics - which identify professionals who practice in the profession of bacteriology in Colombia for petty offenses established in the existing laws matter. under Article 8 of Law 1193 of 2008.

Approval

Currently, to carry out the career in a different country of the initial studies, it is necessary to do a type approval or validation. As long as the professional be interested to work in the destiny country.

It is not necessary the approval or validate, when the professionals pretend to improve the knowledge in a Hague member country (Hague Convention), As long as the interested provided the correct documents legalization performed by the apostille convention, thus as ask for the postgraduates certificate access in accordance with paragraph c of Article 14 of Act 30 of 1992 (within Colombia),^[12] It is necessary determine whether the destiny country is on the haya member list.^[13]

Bacteriologist's day

In Colombia, 28 April is celebrated as Bacteriologist's day. However, in other countries this does not exist or is not celebrated. An international day is not present.

Noted bacteriologists

• 
  Sir Alexander Fleming, FRSE, FRS, FRCS(Eng) (6 August 1881 – 11 March 1955) was a Scottish bacteriologist, biologist, pharmacologist and botanist. He discovered the enzyme lysozyme in 1923 and the antibiotic substance penicillin from the mould Penicillium notatum in 1928.
• 
  Hans Christian Joachim Gram (September 13, 1853 - November 14, 1938) was a Danish bacteriologist. He was the son of Frederik Terkel Julius Gram, a professor of jurisprudence, and Louise Christiane Roulund. "see also Gram staining"
• 
  André-Alfred Lemierre (born July 30, 1875, in Paris; died 1956) was a French bacteriologist. He described Lemierre's syndrome in 1936 while working as a bacteriologist in the Claude Bernard Hospital in Paris.
• 
  Sir William Watson Cheyne, 1st Baronet KCMG CB FRCS FRS (14 December 1852 – 19 April 1932) was a British surgeon and bacteriologist, who pioneered the use of antiseptic surgical methods in the United Kingdom.

Laws and acts

This are some of the laws/acts that regulated to bacteriologist; (Spanish)

• Act 841 of 2003.
• Act 1164 of 2007.
• Act 1193 of 2008.
• Decree 4192 of 2010.
• Resolution 5549 of 2010.

Information

Further information is on the website of “CNB”,^[11] Colombian universities or you can check each of the Laws/Acts given above.^{[2][9][14][15][16]}

See also

• Bacteriology
• Bacteria
• Microbiologist

References