Blood culture
Encyclopedia
Blood culture is a microbiological culture
of blood
. It is employed to detect infections that are spreading through the bloodstream (such as bacteremia
, septicemia amongst others). This is possible because the bloodstream is usually a sterile environment.
, puerperal fever
, pelvic inflammatory disease
, neonatal epiglottitis
, sepsis
, and fever of unknown origin
(FUO). However, negative growths do not exclude infection.
for aerobic
and anaerobic organism
s.
The blood is collected using clean technique. This requires that both the tops of the culture bottles and the venipuncture site of the patient are cleaned prior to collection with alcohol swabs containing 2% chlorhexidine and 70% isopropyl alcohol
.
To maximise the diagnostic yield of blood cultures multiple sets of cultures (each set consisting of aerobic & anaerobic vials filled with 3-10 mL) may be ordered by medical staff. A common protocol used in US hospitals includes the following:
Ordering multiple sets of cultures increases the probability of discovering a pathogenic organism in the blood and reduces the probability of having a positive culture due to skin contaminants.
After inoculating the culture vials, they are sent to the clinical pathology microbiology department. Here the bottles are entered into a blood culture machine, which incubate the specimens at body temperature. The blood culture instrument reports positive blood cultures (cultures with bacteria present, thus indicating the patient is "bacteremic"). Most cultures are monitored for 5 days after which negative vials are removed.
If a vial is positive, a microbiologist will perform a Gram Stain on the blood for a rapid, general ID of the bacteria, which they will report to the attending physician of the bacteremic patient. The blood is also subcultured or "subbed" onto agar plates to isolate the pathogenic organism for culture and suceptability testing, which takes up to 3 days. This culture & sensitivity (C&S) process identifies the species of bacteria. Antibiotic sensitivities are then assessed on the bacterial isolate to inform clinicians on appropriate antibiotics for treatment.
Some guidelines for infective endocarditis recommend taking up to 6 sets of blood for culture (around 60 ml).
Microbiological culture
A microbiological culture, or microbial culture, is a method of multiplying microbial organisms by letting them reproduce in predetermined culture media under controlled laboratory conditions. Microbial cultures are used to determine the type of organism, its abundance in the sample being tested,...
of blood
Blood
Blood is a specialized bodily fluid in animals that delivers necessary substances such as nutrients and oxygen to the cells and transports metabolic waste products away from those same cells....
. It is employed to detect infections that are spreading through the bloodstream (such as bacteremia
Bacteremia
Bacteremia is the presence of bacteria in the blood. The blood is normally a sterile environment, so the detection of bacteria in the blood is always abnormal....
, septicemia amongst others). This is possible because the bloodstream is usually a sterile environment.
Purposes
When a patient shows signs or symptoms of a systemic infection, results from a blood culture can verify that an infection is present, and they can identify the type (or types) of microorganism that is responsible for the infection. For example, blood tests can identify the causative organisms in severe pneumoniaPneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
, puerperal fever
Puerperal fever
Puerperal fever or childbed fever, is a bacterial infection contracted by women during childbirth or miscarriage. It can develop into puerperal sepsis, which is a serious form of septicaemia. If untreated, it is often fatal....
, pelvic inflammatory disease
Pelvic inflammatory disease
Pelvic inflammatory disease is a generic term for inflammation of the uterus, fallopian tubes, and/or ovaries as it progresses to scar formation with adhesions to nearby tissues and organs. This may lead to infections. PID is a vague term and can refer to viral, fungal, parasitic, though most...
, neonatal epiglottitis
Epiglottitis
Epiglottitis is an inflammation of the epiglottis - the flap that sits at the base of the tongue, which keeps food from going into the trachea . Due to its place in the airway, swelling of this structure can interfere with breathing and constitutes a medical emergency...
, sepsis
Sepsis
Sepsis is a potentially deadly medical condition that is characterized by a whole-body inflammatory state and the presence of a known or suspected infection. The body may develop this inflammatory response by the immune system to microbes in the blood, urine, lungs, skin, or other tissues...
, and fever of unknown origin
Fever of unknown origin
Fever of unknown origin , pyrexia of unknown origin or febris e causa ignota refers to a condition in which the patient has an elevated temperature but despite investigations by a physician no explanation has been found....
(FUO). However, negative growths do not exclude infection.
Risks
The usual risks of venipuncture and the occurrence of false positive results (3+%) leading to inappropriate treatment (Madeo et al., 2003).Method
A minimum of 10 ml of blood is taken through vein puncture and injected into two or more "blood bottles" with specific mediaGrowth medium
A growth medium or culture medium is a liquid or gel designed to support the growth of microorganisms or cells, or small plants like the moss Physcomitrella patens.There are different types of media for growing different types of cells....
for aerobic
Aerobic organism
An aerobic organism or aerobe is an organism that can survive and grow in an oxygenated environment.Faculitative anaerobes grow and survive in an oxygenated environment and so do aerotolerant anaerobes.-Glucose:...
and anaerobic organism
Anaerobic organism
An anaerobic organism or anaerobe is any organism that does not require oxygen for growth. It could possibly react negatively and may even die if oxygen is present...
s.
The blood is collected using clean technique. This requires that both the tops of the culture bottles and the venipuncture site of the patient are cleaned prior to collection with alcohol swabs containing 2% chlorhexidine and 70% isopropyl alcohol
Isopropyl alcohol
Isopropyl alcohol is a common name for a chemical compound with the molecular formula C3H8O. It is a colorless, flammable chemical compound with a strong odor...
.
To maximise the diagnostic yield of blood cultures multiple sets of cultures (each set consisting of aerobic & anaerobic vials filled with 3-10 mL) may be ordered by medical staff. A common protocol used in US hospitals includes the following:
- Set 1 = L. antecubital fossa at 0 minutes
- Set 2 = R. antecubital fossa at 30 minutes
- Set 3 = L. or R. antecubital fossa at 90 minutes
Ordering multiple sets of cultures increases the probability of discovering a pathogenic organism in the blood and reduces the probability of having a positive culture due to skin contaminants.
After inoculating the culture vials, they are sent to the clinical pathology microbiology department. Here the bottles are entered into a blood culture machine, which incubate the specimens at body temperature. The blood culture instrument reports positive blood cultures (cultures with bacteria present, thus indicating the patient is "bacteremic"). Most cultures are monitored for 5 days after which negative vials are removed.
If a vial is positive, a microbiologist will perform a Gram Stain on the blood for a rapid, general ID of the bacteria, which they will report to the attending physician of the bacteremic patient. The blood is also subcultured or "subbed" onto agar plates to isolate the pathogenic organism for culture and suceptability testing, which takes up to 3 days. This culture & sensitivity (C&S) process identifies the species of bacteria. Antibiotic sensitivities are then assessed on the bacterial isolate to inform clinicians on appropriate antibiotics for treatment.
Some guidelines for infective endocarditis recommend taking up to 6 sets of blood for culture (around 60 ml).