Blood Culture - Aerobic (Automated)

The BLOOD CULTURE - BACTEC PLUS test is part of a diagnostic process used to identify bacterial or fungal infections in the bloodstream. It involves drawing blood from a patient and inoculating it into special culture bottles. These bottles are placed in an automated system called the BACTEC system, which is designed to detect microbial growth in the blood sample.

Why consider this Test?

• To find a bacterial infection that has spread into the blood, such meningitis pneumonia, kidney infection or sepsis etc. A culture can also show what type of bacteria is causing the infection.
• To find a fungal infection such as yeast, in the blood.
• To check for an infection of the valves of the heart.
• To find the best antibiotic treatment. This is called sensitivity testing.
• To find the cause of an unexplained fever or shock or a person becoming extremely ill.

Who should get tested for Blood Culture Bactec Plus?

If you are experiencing any symptoms of a blood infection as follows, you doctor will advise you to do blood culture tests. Blood infection symptoms include:

• Shaking chills
• Moderate or high fever
• Rapid breathing
• Increased heart rate or palpitations
• Excessive fatigue
• Muscle aches
• Headache

More about this test

Purpose:

• To detect bacteremia (bacteria in the blood) or fungemia (fungi in the blood), both of which can be life-threatening conditions.
• It helps in identifying the causative organism, enabling doctors to prescribe the most effective treatment.
• This is an enhanced version of the traditional blood culture method.
• The BACTEC PLUS system uses automated continuous monitoring to detect microbial growth. It can detect changes in the sample that indicate the growth of microorganisms (changes in CO2 levels, pH, or turbidity).

Advantages:

• Higher sensitivity and faster results compared to traditional methods (manual culture or microscopic examination).
• The automated system reduces human error and ensures continuous monitoring of the samples.
• It allows for the detection of low-level bacteremia that may be missed with other methods.

Common Pathogens Detected:

• Gram-positive bacteria (e.g., Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pneumoniae)
• Gram-negative bacteria (e.g., Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa)
• Fungi (e.g., Candida species)
• Mycobacteria (in some cases, but not routinely tested with BACTEC PLUS)