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RESEARCH PRODUCT
Post-mortem microbiology in sudden death: sampling protocols proposed in different clinical settings
Julian L BurtonMarta C. CohenMiguel J. MartínezJ. AlberolaPaola CastilloVeroniek SaegemanP. FornesAmparo Fernandez-rodriguezLaurent AndreolettiBenedita Sampaio-maiaIrene MerinoInês Morais Caldassubject
Microbiological Techniques0301 basic medicineMicrobiology (medical)030106 microbiologyMEDLINEContext (language use)Clinical settingsSudden deathSpecimen HandlingMicrobiologyDeath Sudden03 medical and health sciences0302 clinical medicineClinical historyHumansMedicine030212 general & internal medicineComputingMilieux_MISCELLANEOUSCause of deathAntiinfective agentbusiness.industrySampling (statistics)General Medicine3. Good healthInfectious Diseases[SDV.MP]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Microbiology and ParasitologyAutopsybusinessdescription
Abstract Background Autopsies, including minimally invasive autopsies, are a powerful tool for determination of the cause of death. When a patient dies from an infection, microbiology is crucial to identify the causative organism. Post-mortem microbiology (PMM) aims to detect unexpected infections causing sudden deaths; confirm clinically suspected but unproven infection; evaluate the efficacy of antimicrobial therapy; identify emergent pathogens; and recognize medical errors. Additionally, the analysis of the thanatomicrobiome may help to estimate the post-mortem interval. Aims The aim was to provide advice in the collection of PMM samples and to propose sampling guidelines for microbiologists advising autopsy pathologists facing different sudden death scenarios. Sources A multidisciplinary team with experts in various fields of microbiology and autopsies on behalf of the ESGFOR (ESCMID – European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases – study group of forensic and post-mortem microbiology and in collaboration with the European Society of Pathology) developed this narrative review based on a literature search using MedLine and Scopus electronic databases supplemented with their own expertise. Content These guidelines address measures to prevent sample contamination in autopsy microbiology; general PMM sampling technique; protocols for PMM sampling in different scenarios and using minimally invasive autopsy; and potential use of the evolving post-mortem microbiome to estimate the post-mortem interval. Implications Adequate sampling is paramount to identify the causative organism. Meaningful interpretation of PMM results requires careful evaluation in the context of clinical history, macroscopic and histological findings. Networking and closer collaboration among microbiologists and autopsy pathologists is vital to maximize the yield of PMM.
| year | journal | country | edition | language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-05-01 |