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Four-day incubation for detection of bacteremia using the BACTEC 9240
A S Johnson1, C Touchie, D J Haldane
1Department of Medicine and Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre, Dalhousie University Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada B3H 1V7. asj@u.washington.edu
Diagnostic Microbiology and Infectious Disease
|January 9, 2001
Summary
A four-day incubation protocol for blood cultures effectively identifies clinically significant bacteria. This method minimally impacts overall sensitivity compared to a five-day approach, optimizing diagnostic efficiency.
Area of Science:
- Medical Microbiology
- Clinical Diagnostics
Background:
- Blood culture diagnostics are crucial for identifying bloodstream infections.
- Current incubation protocols often involve five days, potentially delaying treatment.
- Optimizing blood culture incubation can improve patient outcomes and laboratory efficiency.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the efficacy of a four-day incubation protocol for blood cultures.
- To determine the impact of reducing incubation time on the recovery of clinically significant bacteria.
- To compare the sensitivity of a four-day versus a five-day blood culture incubation protocol.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective review of 29,356 blood cultures from the BACTEC 9240 system.
- Analysis of positive blood culture vials, focusing on isolates recovered on day four and day five.
- Chart review of non-contaminant isolates to assess clinical significance.
Main Results:
- Of 95 isolates detected after three days, 63 were recovered on day four and 32 on day five.
- Clinically insignificant isolates were predominantly recovered on day four (31/40).
- Clinically significant isolates were recovered on day four (6/8) and day five (2/8).
Conclusions:
- A four-day incubation protocol can reliably detect most clinically significant bacteria.
- Reducing incubation to four days results in a minimal sensitivity reduction of 0.06% compared to five days.
- A four-day incubation protocol is a viable option for blood culture analysis, enhancing efficiency without significant loss of diagnostic accuracy.