1) Emerging Pathogens: Challenges of Molecular Diagnostics

More than 50 emerging and remerging pathogens have been identified during the last 40 years.
The feasibility of applying molecular diagnostics to dangerous, fastidious, and uncultivated agents for
which conventional tests do not yield timely diagnoses has achieved proof of concept for many agents,
but widespread use of cost-effective, validated commercial assays has yet to occur.

2) Decreasing Human Role

Some laboratories have enlisted the services of fully functional robotic systems to replace jobs
once done manually during an eight-hour shift into procedures that require very little human
intervention and operate (at least in theory) 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

3) Expensive and High Maintaining Technology

Because of the upgraded, hybrid re-emerging infectious diseases, antimicrobial resistance, and
other factors that need immediate response, technological developments are developed aiming to
improve services and provide solutions to these emerging problems. Along these developments comes
expensive funding. Are the decrease turnaround time and improved sensitivity worth the additional
cost? Who are the only privilege ones that can afford it?

4) Change of Etiological Structure of Infectious Morbidity - Elevation of the Incidence of Infections

caused by Conditioned Pathogenic Causative Agents

Trying to figure out the etiology of a disease is highly important in knowing how to cure it. But
because of the rapid change on the molecular and etiological structure of these now conditioned
pathogenic agents, high incidence of infections are uncontrollable.

5) Vaccination Dilemma VS Immune Disease

In 2002, an interesting article published in the New England Journal of Medicine examined the
fact that autoimmune diseases have increased significantly in correspondence to the decline of
infectious diseases. Although infectious agents could trigger autoimmune diseases by antigenic mimicry,
these are curious data obtained from epidemiological studies. Apparently infectious agents present
super antigens that may have an action in the immune system, modulating it, and decreasing the
expression of autoimmune diseases. How much vaccinations may influence this recent increase of
autoimmune diseases is a matter to be clarified.

6) Pharmaceuticals Products and Microbial Risks

According to WHO, Pharmaceutical products are more commonly known as medicines or drugs
– are a fundamental component of both modern and traditional medicine. It is essential that such
products are safe, effective, and of good quality, and are prescribed and used rationally. Microbial risks
in pharmaceutical products may be defined as deterioration of pharmaceutical products by the
contaminant microbe, which leads to change in Drug Quality and safety.
7) Poor Staffing

We need new skills (molecular microbiology, pharmacology, epidemiology, bioinformatics,

computer science, statistics, and infection control) and acceptance for these and to strengthen the need
for “old skills” – the “medical microbiologist”.