TY - JOUR
AU - Smith, Richard
AB - Saturday 27 September 1997 BMJ Optimising the investigation of meningococcal disease Early treatment with benzylpenicillin is important and doesn't jeopardise diagnosis See p 774 he incidence of meningococcal disease in Eng­ ing of meningococci in over half of cases with a positive land and Wales has remained at high levels result on PCR screening, providing important infor­ over the past two winters, as has the proportion mation for management of contacts. The most suitable of cases caused by strains of serogroup C (M Ramsay, E specimens for PCR are cerebrospinal fluid or the residue Kaczmarski, personal communications). Clusters, also of the first blood sample taken on admission for haema­ caused mainly by serogroup C strains, have increased tological evaluation; later blood samples are less satisfac­ considerably, particularly among students at schools tory because of clearance of meningococcal DNA. The and universities (A Rushdy, J Stuart, personal commu­ admitting clinician should either take two samples into nications). While effective vaccines are awaited, current EDTA tubes or ask the microbiology department to priorities are to optimise recognition, diagnosis, and retrieve a single sample from the haematology management. department. Retrieval must be swift; routine samples for Administration of benzylpenicillin to suspected blood 
TI - Peer review: reform or revolution?
JF - BMJ
DO - 10.1136/bmj.315.7111.759
DA - 1997-09-27
UR - https://www.deepdyve.com/lp/british-medical-journal/peer-review-reform-or-revolution-hioqnOA6jv
SP - 759
EP - 760
VL - 315
IS - 7111
DP - DeepDyve
ER -