New Frontiers in Clinical Pathology

The diagnosis of diseases based on a laboratory analysis of bodily fluids, such as urine, blood, etc. and tissue homogenates or extracts, is under the scope of clinical pathology. Such investigations are guided by an understanding of chemistry, hematology, microbiology and molecular pathology. It is aided by tools such as microscopes, analyzers, centrifugal machines and strips, etc. A diagnosis is made by performing a macroscopic examination, a microscopic examination, automated analysis and a culture. The visual examination of a sample is part of the macroscopic analysis, while the microscopic analysis allows a pathologist to determine whether the liquid is normal, infectious, inflammatory or tumoral. The latter stage also allows the determination of the causal infectious agent, if any, such as a mould, yeast, bacterium, parasite or a virus. Automated analyzers measure different chemicals and other parameters with minimal human assistance. Clinical pathology, primarily for medical purposes use a culture media for various examinations. It is a field of medical science that has undergone rapid development over the past few decades. This book explores all the important aspects of clinical pathology, in the present day scenario. In this book, using case studies and examples, constant effort has been made to make the understanding of the difficult concepts of clinical pathology as easy and informative as possible, for the readers.