JCP

HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS REGISTER
[Advanced]

This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when eLetters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow Email this link to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Add article to my folders
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by James, P. A
Right arrow Articles by Al-Shafi, K. M
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by James, P. A
Right arrow Articles by Al-Shafi, K. M
Right arrowPubmed/NCBI databases
Medline Plus Health Information
*Blood and Blood Disorders
J Clin Pathol 2000; 53:231-233
© 2000 Journal of Clinical Pathology


Short report

Clinical value of anaerobic blood culture: a retrospective analysis of positive patient episodes

Peter A James1, Khalid M Al-Shafi1

1 Department of Microbiology, Gwent Healthcare NHS Trust, Royal Gwent Hospital, Newport, Gwent NP20 2UB, South Wales, UK

Dr James email: peter.james{at}gwent.wales.nhs.uk Aim—To investigate the clinical value of anaerobic blood culture.

Methods—Blood culture bottles (n = 25 185) submitted for culture over a two year period were reviewed.

Results—The bottles yielded 1992 positive patient episodes, a positive rate of 14.4/1000 hospital admissions. Significantly more isolations were obtained from aerobic than from anaerobic bottles. Twelve of the 38 anaerobic episodes were detected in aerobic bottles. Clinical management was influenced in one of 24 patients whose cultures yielded anaerobes from anaerobic bottles only. For a further six patients it was unlikely that the result had any effect on clinical management.

Conclusions—If aerobic bottles were substituted for the anaerobic bottles, detection of positive patient episodes would increase by at least 6%. A higher yield would be achieved by using two aerobic bottles for routine culture and using anaerobic bottles only for patients where anaerobic culture may influence clinical management.

Key Words: blood culture • anaerobes • BacT/Alert




This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
ChestHome page
R. Berger, A. Weinacker, and S. Shafazand
Modification of Blood Culture Recommendations?
Chest, June 1, 2003; 123(6): 2157 - 2158.
[Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
J. Clin. Microbiol.Home page
J. A. Riley, B. J. Heiter, and P. P. Bourbeau
Comparison of Recovery of Blood Culture Isolates from Two BacT/ALERT FAN Aerobic Blood Culture Bottles with Recovery from One FAN Aerobic Bottle and One FAN Anaerobic Bottle
J. Clin. Microbiol., January 1, 2003; 41(1): 213 - 217.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]




HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS REGISTER
Journal of Clinical Pathology Molecular Pathology
Terms and conditions relating to subscriptions purchased online  ¦  Website terms and conditions  ¦  Privacy policy
Copyright © 2000 by the BMJ Publishing Group Ltd & Association of Clinical Pathologists.