Microbiology Guide - Alder Hey Childrens Hospital

Paediatric Laboratory Medicine (Pathology) 

Microbiology internet web page - Version: 3.0. Index: MBINTERNET. Printed: 07-Feb-2013 09:13 

Title: 

Index: 

Author(s): 

Authorised By: 

Date of issue: 

Document Status: 

Review Date: 

Microbiology internet web page 

MBINTERNET 

Chris Gerrard 

Richard Drew 

06-Feb-2013 

Authorised 

06-Feb-2014 


Authorised on: 06-Feb-2013. Authorised by: Richard Drew. Document Unique Reference: 385-24656160. Due for review on: 06-Feb-2014 

Author(s): Chris Gerrard

Lab Number: 1 749 

Microbiology Department 

General Information 

The Alder Hey Children’s Medical Microbiology Department is a specialist paediatric 

Microbiology Laboratory which serves both the clinicians and patients of the hospital as 

well as General Practitioners from Liverpool and the surrounding areas. 

The aim of the laboratory is to provide an efficient patient-centred microbiology service 

which improves the investigation and management of infectious diseases in children. 


The laboratory is located on the ground floor of the hospital close to the Eaton Road 

entrance. 

The nearest visitor car park is the short stay car park by the B1/D1 out patients and 

Emergency Departments. 

Samples that cannot be processed on-site are referred to other CPA approved laboratories. 

Routine Laboratory Hours 

Monday – Friday 

Out of Hours Service for urgent tests 

Biomedical Sciences Staff are on site: 

9.00a.m – 5.30p.m 

Monday – Friday 5.30pm – 1.00 am the following day (Bleep 099) 

Weekends and Bank Holidays 9am – 1am the following day 

An On-call service is available 1am – 9am seven days a week. 

The on-call Biomedical Scientist is contacted via the hospital switchboard. 

Clinical cover: 

The out-of–hours clinical On-call service is provided by the Consultant Medical 

Microbiologists and the Infectious Diseases Consultants. 

A Consultant is available at all times for urgent clinical advice - Contact is via 

switchboard. 



Author(s): Chris Gerrard 

1 

Page 1 of 6

Contact Details 

Address: 

Microbiology Department 

Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust 

Eaton Road 

West Derby 

Liverpool 

L12 2AP 

Telephone: 0151 228 4811 then request extension as indicated below 

Fax: 0151 252 5550 

This Fax Machine is not located in the microbiology department – please do not send 

confidential information unless you have contacted the recipient first. 


Hays DX Address: DX6961702 

Old Swan L90 

Members of staff are available on extension numbers given below during normal working 

hours. 

Consultant staff carry long range bleeps and are contactable via switchboard. 

Results / Enquiries 

(Monday – Friday: 8.30am – 5pm) 

Contact the pathology office on ext.2270 

Any other time contact the laboratory on ext 2268 

Results will not be given to or discussed with family members. 

Key Personnel 

Staff member Title Ext. 

Dr Richard Drew 

Head of Department, 

Consultant Microbiologist 

Prof. Nigel Cunliffe Consultant Microbiologist 2268 

Dr Andrew Riordan 

Dr Stéphane Paulus 

Consultant in Paediatric Infectious Diseases 

and Immunology 

Consultant in Paediatric Infectious Diseases 

and Immunology 

2736/2268 

2764 

3745 

Mrs Christine Gerrard Laboratory Manager 2267 

Mrs Teresa Barton Senior Biomedical Scientist 2268 

Infection control 2338/2485 




2 

Page 2 of 6

Principal Services 

Clinical Service 

Access to consultative and principal diagnostic services are available 9am - 5:30pm 

Monday to Friday. 

Diagnostic Service 

The department provides a comprehensive microbiological service in medical bacteriology, 

mycology, virology, parasitology and serological investigations. Advice on the selection of 

appropriate diagnostic specimens, their collection and transport is available. 

'URGENT' Specimens for Microbiological Investigation 

Biomedical Scientists (BMSs) are available in the laboratory between 9.00 am and 1 am, 7 

days a week to process any samples that are considered urgent. 


Out of Hours Service / Emergency On-Call Service 

Out of hours services are only available for in-patients. 

Antimicrobial Therapy 

The department adheres to the British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy guidelines 

for the interpretation and reporting of antibiotic sensitivity results and the Clinical and 

Laboratory Standards Institute guidelines for antifungal sensitivity results. 

Sensitivity results will be reported as: 

Sensitive (S): Implies that the micro-organism is inhibited by the usually achievable 

concentrations of the antimicrobial agent when the recommended dosage is used for 

the site of infection. 

Intermediate (I): Implies clinical efficacy in body sites where the drugs are 

physiologically concentrated (eg quinolones and β -lactams in urine) or when a 

higher than normal dosage of a drug can be used (eg β -lactams). 

Resistant (R): Implies that micro-organisms are not inhibited by the usually 

achievable concentrations of the antimicrobial agent with normal dosage schedules. 

Document control 

All documents used in Microbiology are managed electronically using iPassport (Genial 

Genetics Ltd). 

Labelling requirements for request forms 

Samples from General Practitioners and Walk-in-Centres must be accompanied by a hand 

written request form or a GP’s letter. The form/letter should clearly state the following 

information for unequivocal identification of the patient and specimen: 

Patient name (in full – no abbreviations) 

GP name and address and Clinic name if applicable 

Date of Birth 

Sex 




3 

Page 3 of 6

Type of specimen 

Date and time specimen taken 

NB It is ESSENTIAL that the laboratory knows the date on which a specimen is taken: 

processing delayed specimens can yield unhelpful or misleading results and they may be 

discarded (e.g. urine samples dated 2 days prior to day of receipt). 

If patients are given a request form and asked to provide a specimen from home they 

should be asked to write the date on which the specimen was collected on both the 

container and the form. 

Also required: 


All relevant clinical details including any recent antibiotic treatment 

History of recent foreign travel, if applicable 

Risk status, if applicable 

Date of onset and duration of illness, particularly for serology 

Specify anatomical site from which "wound" specimens were taken. 

An indication of parental consent must be given for HIV testing, samples cannot be 

processed without consent in writing. 

If the laboratory cannot unequivocally identify the sample and match it to a form, 

then it will be discarded. 

Labelling requirements for specimens 

Patient details on the specimen must match those on the request form 

Please note that unlabelled and mislabelled repeatable specimens cannot be processed 

and will be discarded. 

Receipt of specimens into the Microbiology Department 

Samples may be delivered by hand to the Specimen Reception Area in the Pathology 

department. 

A phlebotomy service is available for serology testing. 

Collection of a mid-stream specimen of urine (MSSU) for culture and sensitivity 

Please ensure that the patient is physically clean before collecting a urine sample for 

culture. 

Catch the middle portion of the urine in a clean wide-mouth receptacle. Such a receptacle 

need not be sterile: any container, previously washed thoroughly with detergent and hot 

water and stored dry, is suitable. 

A sample of the middle portion of the urine must be poured into a 20ml universal container 

(white top) with all sections on the label completed. 

Procedure for the collection of a specimen of faeces 




4 

Page 4 of 6

When collecting a specimen of Faeces it should be obtained in a convenient container and 

transferred into a blue Fecon container with a plastic spoon attached. The laboratory 

requires a “grape sized” sample for routine C&S or rotavirus detection. 

Rectal swabs are not accepted as a substitute for faeces. 

Cellotape collection kits are available from the department for the detection of Enterobius 

vermicularis (threadworm) stool samples are not suitable for the detection of threadworm. 

Common Tests - Bacteriology 

Name of Test 

Specimen 

Container 

Comments 


Blood cultures 

CSF culture 

and microscopy 

Wound swabs / Pus 

/ Fluids etc. 

Urines – C&S 

Urine - Pregnancy Test 

Respiratory samples 

for routine C&S 

Eye, Ear, Nose and 

Throat swabs 

Pertussis Culture 

S.aureus screening 

Eye swabs for gonorrhea 

Paediatric blood culture 

bottle (3ml) 

Sterile universal (Min 

0.5ml) 

Sterile universal or 

swab 

Sterile universal 

(2-3ml) 

Sterile universal 

(2-3ml) 

Sterile universal conical 

tube or swab 

Amies Transport Swab 

Wire Charcoal Swab 

Amies Transport swab 

Charcoal swab 

Ideally at least 3mls of blood should be collected into the 

blood culture bottle. If brucellosis or endocarditis is 

suspected please contact the laboratory as the culture may 

be kept for 21 days. 

The laboratory should be informed of all urgent CSFs and 

they should be hand delivered to the laboratory 

Pus in a universal is always the preferred sample to a 

wound swab. 

The best sample is a clean catch sample. Bag samples may 

grow skin flora 

Test performed by biochemistry 1am – 9am. 

NPA samples are not suitable for routine culture 

Only eye swabs from Neonates and Ophthalmology are 

cultured routinely 

If the child is

Name 

Tests Done 


ADOPTION SCREEN 

ASOT & Anti DNase b 

ASOT screen 

CONGENITAL 

INFECTION SCREEN 

CMV SYMPTOMATIC 

DIALYSIS SCREEN 

EBV SYMPTOMATIC 

ACUTE HEPATITIS 

DIAGNOSIS 

CHRONIC HEPATITIS 

DIAGNOSIS 

HIV SEROLOGY 

MEASLES DIAGNOSIS 

MUMPS DIAGNOSIS 

MUMPS IMMUNITY 

PARVOVIRUS 

DIAGNOSIS 

RESPIRATORY VIRUS 

SEROLOGY 

RUBELLA DIAGNOSIS 

VZV DIAGNOSIS 

HIV Ag&Ab, HBsAg, HCV Ab, Syphilis serology 

Streptococcal antibodies 

ASOT screening test 

Toxoplasma IgM&IgG, CMV IgG, CMV avidity 

CMV IgG, CMV avidity 

HBsAg, HCV Ab, HIV Ag&Ab 

EBV EBNA IgG, EBV VCA IgM & IgG 

HBsAg, HBc, HAV IgG & IgM, HCV Ab 

HBsAg, HBc, HAV Ab, HCV Ab 

HIV Ab & Ag 

Measles IgG & IgM 

Mumps IgG & IgM 

Mumps IgG 

Parvovirus IgM and IgG 

Influenza A, Influenza B, RSV, M. pneumoniae, Chlamydia sp., Q fever, 

Adenovirus CFTs 

Rubella IgG & IgM 

Varicella IgG & IgM 

The majority of serology tests are sent to referral laboratories. All referral laboratories are 

CPA accredited. 

Turnaround time for serology tests is on average 1-2 weeks, ASOT screens are tested on 

the day of receipt. 




6 

Page 6 of 6

Microbiology Guide - Alder Hey Childrens Hospital

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?