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Blood culture

Category Bacteriology Medical Microbiology
Reporting frequency Negative - 5 days. Up to 21 days for extended culture

Additional information

Blue top – Aerobic (BD BACTEC Plus Aerobic/F, Purple top – Anaerobic- BD BACTEC Lytic/10 Anaerobic/F, Paediatric BD BACTEC Peds Plus/F (Pink top)

Aerobic blood culture. Prior to inoculation, disinfect the culture botle top, label the bottle with patient’s details without covering the barcode. Inoculate the bottle with between 8-10ml of the fluid; paediatric samples – inoculate the bottle with between 1-5ml of blood or send any sample you manage to obtain regardless of volume. After inoculation, disinfect the bottle top. Anaerobic culture; likely severe anaerobic infections on ITU; abdominal infections; deep abdominal abscesses; skin and soft tssue infections (particularly necrotising fasciitis); pelvic gynaecological infections; Severe throat infections: Lemierre’s syndrome; Immunosuppressed haematology/oncology patients; investigation of PUO

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