JamunJar: Health & Wealth for a better tomorrow

🧪 Culture & Sensitivity – Aerobic Bacteria (Blood, Single Bottle)

Test Name	Blood Culture & Sensitivity – Aerobic Only
Sample Type	Whole Blood (collected in an aerobic blood culture bottle)
Fasting Required	❌ Not required
Sample Volume	8–10 mL (Adults), 1–5 mL (Pediatrics)
Turnaround Time	Preliminary report: 24–48 hrs Final report: up to 5–7 days
Department	Microbiology

🔬 Purpose of the Test

This test is used to:

Detect aerobic bacteria in the bloodstream (bacteria that grow in oxygen-rich environments).
Identify the specific organism(s) causing bacteremia or septicemia.
Determine which antibiotics the organism is sensitive or resistant to (antibiotic susceptibility).

💡 When is This Test Ordered?

Clinical Situations	Why It’s Needed
Persistent high fever, chills	Suspect bloodstream infection
Sepsis or septic shock	Identify cause and guide antibiotic therapy
Fever of unknown origin (FUO)	Rule out bacterial etiology
Immunocompromised patients	Early detection of bacterial infection
Post-surgical or catheter-related infections	Rule out bacteremia
Infective endocarditis	Confirm continuous bacteremia

🧫 What Is Detected?

Bacteria Commonly Detected in Aerobic Bottle
Escherichia coli (E. coli)
Klebsiella pneumoniae
Staphylococcus aureus
Streptococcus pneumoniae
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Enterobacter species

📈 Result Interpretation

Result	Interpretation
✅ No Growth	No detectable aerobic bacteria after full incubation period
❌ Positive	Bacterial growth detected; follow-up includes species ID & sensitivity
⚠️ Contaminated	Presence of skin flora or inconsistent results across repeated samples

💊 What is Sensitivity Testing?

It checks which antibiotics are effective against the isolated organism.
Results are marked as:
- S = Sensitive
- I = Intermediate
- R = Resistant

This helps guide targeted antibiotic therapy, reducing misuse and resistance.

🛑 Important Pre-Test Instructions

Instruction	Why
✅ Collect before antibiotics	Antibiotics can suppress bacterial growth
✅ Use sterile technique	Prevents contamination from skin flora
🚫 Avoid drawing from IV line	Use peripheral venipuncture for accuracy

🧪 Other Tests Commonly Done Together

Test	Purpose
CBC (WBC count)	Detect immune response
CRP / Procalcitonin	Assess severity of bacterial infection
Urine culture / CSF culture	Look for infection source
Liver/Kidney function tests	To monitor organ function in septic states

🧠 Summary

Parameter	Details
Organism Type	Aerobic Bacteria
Utility	Detection of bacteremia, sepsis, FUO
Sample	One aerobic blood culture bottle
Antibiotic Sensitivity	Guides specific antimicrobial treatment
Next Steps	Start/adjust antibiotics based on sensitivity results

Culture & Sensitivity, Aerobic bacteria Blood single bottle