The Microbiology Services diagnoses different syndromes and infectious processes, in which the cause is significant to treatment. It also performs in vitro susceptibility studies of isolated microorganisms, along with studies of the antimicrobial spectrum of new antibiotics. It also deals with the detection and follow-up of resistance to antimicrobials, and actively participates in the detection, follow-up and control of hospital-acquired infections and in the design of the Germans Trias antibiotics policy.

It acts as a support laboratory of the Generalitat de Catalunya (Catalan Regional Government) in tuberculosis and in sexually transmitted infections (STI), in collaboration with CEEISCAT.  Since 2001, the service has the Quality management certificate in accordance to standard ISO 9001:2000, and since 2009, in accordance to standard ISO 9001:2008.

The service has given accredited teaching to Microbiology residents since 1991. It has teaching responsibilities for undergraduates and postgraduates of the Medical School and Biomedical Science School of Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB).

A multidisciplinary research team has been formed around the service, established as a quality research group by the Generalitat de Catalunya since 1998 until today. Some members of the group form part of the CIBER of Respiratory Diseases (CIBERES) and others of the CIBER of Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP) of the Instituto de Salud Carlos III.

Sepsis is the most common cause of admission to hospital, more than a heart attack, with a higher death rate. A patient with sepsis is a serious case, with inflammatory response throughout the body, and has a known or suspicious infection. It is calculated that in Spain, there are over 50,000 cases of sepsis a year, of which up to a third lead to death.

For the correct care of these patients, a quick ethiologic diagnosis (finding out the causes) is one of the keys to the process. Today's blood culture systems have a response time that is still too long, although Germans Trias apply the most cost-effective processing techniques available.

In the short-term, we will be in a position to apply new systems (IRIDICA system, Abbot molecular), which will enable us to identify the causative agents of sepsis in a tenth of the time. It will also detect the main resistance mechanisms to antimicrobials, which will make it possible to apply the most cost-effective antibiotic treatment.

Tuberculosis is a worldwide health problem. According to the WHO, in 2012 there were 8.6 million patients, and 1.3 million deaths. In recent years, its treatment has become even more complicated, owing to the irruption of multi and extremely resistant bacteria strains: in 2012, 450,000 cases of multiresistant cases arose, of which 9.6 were extremely resistant.

The correct identification of tuberculosis cases, with the resistance pattern of the strains, is an essential tool in successfully fighting this disease. For the diagnosis of the infection, the laboratory can carry out IGRAS tests, the sensitivity and specificity of which are an important asset of the process. In recent years, detection systems have been implemented of nucleic acids, which at the same time detect the tuberculosis bacillus and its resistance to rifampicin. These tests, with fast results, enable us to quickly start or redirect anti-tuberculosis treatment, hence leading to its success.

The Clinical Microbiology and Experimental Infectious Pathology Service is accredited by the University Aid and Research Management Agency (AGAUR). It has the following lines of research:

• Development, standardization and clinical evaluation of microbiological, immunological and molecular biology techniques: these procedures are used in the diagnosis of infectious diseases, the development of experimental models in infectious pathology, in the study of molecular mechanisms resistant to antimicrobials and the evaluation of antimicrobial activity of new antiseptics and disinfectants.
• Molecular virology and pathogenesis of viral infections, inflammation immunology, new bacterial anti-inflammatory molecules and epidemiology and public health of communicable diseases.

Apart from projects financed by public administrations through tender procedures, the group also has different R&D and technoloogy transfer contracts, projects and activities with the industry.

The research activities carried out by the Experimental Tuberculosis Unit can be consulted in its blog..

Undergraduate teaching

The subject of medical Microbiology and Parasitology is given to Medical and Biomedical Science degree students of Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB).

Postgraduate teaching

The service has been accredited to train resident doctors (of Medicine, Biology and Pharmacy) in the speciality of Microbiology and Parasitology since 1991. You can see all teaching guides in this link.

It also gives the microbiology module of the Master Degree in clinical Research applied to Health Sciences, in the Medical School of the UAB, and the doctorate programme in Microbiology of the Department of Genetics and Microbiology of the UAB.

Continuous training

Laboratory professionals give the annual refresher course in clinical Microbiology, open to all hospital staff and accredited by the Catalan Council of Continuous Training of Health Professions.