Culture & Sensitivity, Aerobic bacteria Blood single bottle (Manual method)

Bacterial/ Viral

Report in 72Hrs

At Home

No Fasting Required

Details

Detect aerobic bacteria in the bloodstream (bacteria that grow in oxygen-rich environments)

₹299₹1,500

80% OFF

Culture & Sensitivity Aerobic bacteria Blood single bottle (Manual method)

Why is it done?
- Detects and identifies aerobic bacterial pathogens in the bloodstream, indicating bacteremia or sepsis
- Determines antibiotic susceptibility patterns to guide targeted antimicrobial therapy
- Ordered when patients present with fever, chills, hypotension, or clinical signs of systemic infection
- Performed in hospitalized patients, those with immunocompromise, or suspected infectious endocarditis
- Typically collected before initiating antibiotic therapy for optimal organism isolation
- Essential for sepsis workup in emergency and critical care settings
Normal Range
- Normal Result: No growth - indicates absence of aerobic bacteria in blood
- Negative Culture: No bacterial pathogen identified after 5-7 days of incubation
- Interpretation: Normal finding suggests patient does not have bacteremia or blood infection at the time of collection
- Clinical Significance: Helps rule out systemic bacterial infection; note that multiple negative cultures increase confidence in ruling out bacteremia
Interpretation
- Positive Culture (Organism Identified): Confirms bacteremia and identifies specific aerobic pathogen; requires immediate clinical correlation and initiation of appropriate antibiotics
- Sensitivity Results (Antibiotic Susceptibility): Displayed as Sensitive (S), Intermediate (I), or Resistant (R) to various antibiotics
- Sensitive (S): Organism likely to respond to standard doses of the antibiotic; recommended for therapy
- Intermediate (I): Organism susceptibility uncertain; may respond to higher antibiotic doses or when drug concentration is higher at site of infection
- Resistant (R): Organism unlikely to respond to the antibiotic; alternative therapy should be selected
- Contamination vs. True Pathogen: Skin flora contaminants (Coagulase-negative staphylococci, Propionibacterium, Bacillus) require clinical correlation; single positive bottle may represent contamination
- Factors Affecting Results: Prior antibiotic use may reduce culture sensitivity; collection timing relative to fever spikes affects organism recovery; inadequate sample volume or improper collection technique may cause false negatives
- Time to Result: Manual method typically requires 24-72 hours for preliminary identification and 5-7 days for complete culture and sensitivity testing
Associated Organs
- Primary System Involved: Cardiovascular and immune systems; blood circulation distributes organisms throughout body
- Conditions Associated with Positive Results: Sepsis, bacteremia, pneumonia, urinary tract infection with systemic dissemination, endocarditis, osteomyelitis with hematogenous spread, meningitis, intra-abdominal infection
- Common Aerobic Pathogens Identified: Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus species, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Acinetobacter, Enterococcus, Listeria monocytogenes
- Target Organs at Risk: Heart (endocarditis), brain (meningitis), kidneys (acute kidney injury from sepsis), liver, spleen, lungs, and other vital organs
- Potential Complications: Septic shock, multi-organ failure, disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC), hypotension, thromboembolism, and death if untreated
- Risk Groups: Immunocompromised patients, those with indwelling catheters, prosthetic valves, recent surgery, or underlying comorbidities
Follow-up Tests
- Repeat Blood Cultures: Recommended 24-48 hours after initiating therapy to document clearance of bacteremia; typically collected from different sites
- Additional Cultures: Urine culture, sputum culture, cerebrospinal fluid culture, wound cultures depending on clinical presentation to identify primary infection source
- Imaging Studies: CT scans, echocardiography, MRI to identify source of infection or complications such as abscess formation or endocarditis
- Laboratory Markers: Complete blood count (CBC), procalcitonin, C-reactive protein (CRP), lactate, prothrombin time (PT), partial thromboplastin time (PTT) to assess severity and monitor sepsis progression
- Metabolic Panel: Electrolytes, renal function, liver function tests to evaluate end-organ damage from sepsis
- Gram Stain Review: Rapid review of gram stain (available within hours) provides preliminary organism morphology and characteristics
- Molecular Testing: PCR-based methods may provide faster pathogen identification in some laboratories
- Monitoring Frequency: Daily blood cultures during initial sepsis treatment until negative; follow-up cultures at end of therapy for certain conditions
Fasting Required?
- Fasting Required: No - fasting is not required for blood culture collection
- Patient Preparation: No special dietary restrictions; patient may eat and drink normally
- Collection Timing: Ideally collected during fever spike or immediately after; may be collected anytime if patient already febrile; timing critical for organism recovery
- Medications: Do not stop or alter antibiotics; draw cultures before initiating antibiotics if possible, but do not delay treatment initiation
- Skin Preparation: Critical step - phlebotomist cleanses venipuncture site with 70% alcohol or chlorhexidine scrub in circular motion for 30 seconds and allows to air dry completely to prevent contamination
- Volume Requirements: Typically 10 mL minimum for aerobic culture bottle; adequate volume essential for optimal sensitivity; larger volumes improve organism detection
- Collection Instructions: Use sterile needles and collection devices; maintain aseptic technique throughout; do not touch collection site after cleaning; fill aerobic bottle first, then anaerobic if appropriate
- Transport Requirements: Transport to laboratory immediately at room temperature; do not refrigerate culture bottles; do not expose to extreme temperatures
- Labeling and Documentation: Clearly label bottle with patient name, medical record number, collection date and time, collection site, and clinician name

How our test process works!