infectious disease specifications

These methodologies allow Southwest Labs to rapidly and simultaneously test for many infectious organisms as well as some of the most common genes known to confer possible resistance to antibiotics. Given this, all of these possible tests return an independent binary result: present or absent. For this reason, it is not possible for Southwest labs to determine which of two (or more) detected bacterial pathogens contain any simultaneously detected antibiotic resistance gene (s) from the same specimen. Therefore, in polymicrobial specimen results of this type, medical providers could assume the antibiotic resistance genes were present in all detected bacterial microorganisms when they are selecting a treatment as a means of reducing the likelihood of antibiotic failure due to antibiotic resistance.

Our tests can simultaneously detect the possible presence of many infectious organisms as well as some of the most common genes known to confer possible resistance to antibiotics. As a courtesy to medical providers, our tests result software utilizes these data points to generate some clinical treatment information for consideration by the ordering provider. The resources used to compile this information were the Sanford Guide™ the Comprehensive Antibiotic Resistance Database™, UpToDate™, The Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA), and the advice of experienced medical professionals. However, any and all information relating to possible treatment of infectious disease(s) provided by Southwest Labs is done so exclusively as an informational courtesy alone. Any and all decisions to treat our not treat an infection and/or what treatments to use for an infection(s) must be made at the sole direction of the medical provider using clinical judgement and information. Southwest Labs does not make medical diagnoses and does not provide medical treatment. Southwest Labs is not responsible for any treatment decision(s) made by ordering providers.