This is a comprehensive standard operative procedure manual for all types of specimens received in a clinical bacteriology diagnostic laboratory serving a tertiary care hospital. The manual has been compiled by referring to international protocols customized to the needs and the infrastructure already available in India or infrastructure that can be achieved by upgradation. Both conventional and automated procedural alternatives are included. It is intended that all participating laboratories, including Nodal Centers and the Regional Center laboratories, will strictly adhere to the procedures. The manual has been organized to place each part of the procedure together, including collection, specimen processing, supplies, QC, and step-by-step testing procedure. This will allow the user to see an overview of the entire procedure together. Guidelines for specimen collection and transport can be separately made available to the collection points and those for processing are to be made available in the processing laboratories. All the laboratories must isolate, identify to species level and carry out susceptibility tests of significant bacterial isolates as per guidelines provided. For isolates, which are difficult to identify, Regional Center laboratories can send the isolates to Nodal Centers for further characterization.
