Bench to Bedside —
clinical microbiology
explained clearly

Most likely yes — about 25–30% of HCV-exposed individuals clear infection spontaneously, retaining lifelong anti-HCV antibody without detectable RNA. But a false-negative PCR can occur if the viral load is below the LLOQ, if the sample was poorly handled, or during very early acute infection.

SDD means the organism can be treated with cefepime — but only with the right dose and infusion strategy. Standard dosing (2g q12h over 30 min) will fail to reach PK/PD targets. You need either 2g q8h as an extended infusion over 4 hours, or high-dose 2g q8h.

Apply the Graus 2016 criteria: subacute onset (<3 months) of working memory deficits, altered consciousness, or new psychiatric symptoms, plus at least one of: CSF pleocytosis, suggestive MRI, new-onset unexplained seizures, or abnormal EEG. Common infectious and structural causes must be excluded first — AE testing is a second-step investigation, not a first-line screen.

Not without checking anti-HBc total first. HBsAg negativity does not rule out hepatitis B. An anti-HBc-positive, HBsAg-negative patient may have occult HBV — and can reactivate when given rituximab, high-dose steroids, or other immunosuppressants, sometimes fatally.

This is correct practice. CLSI M100 recommends against routine AST for Burkholderia cepacia complex because in-vitro susceptibility correlates poorly with clinical outcome. Treatment is guided by clinical evidence and expert consensus rather than the antibiogram.

LLOQ (Lower Limit of Quantification) is the minimum viral load a PCR assay can measure accurately and reproducibly. Below this threshold, the virus may still be detected but cannot be reliably counted. "Detected, below LLOQ" means the virus is present — the patient is still viraemic.