Investigating the time to blood culture positivity
Author Information
Author(s): Kerry Falconer, Robert Hammond, Benjamin J. Parcell, Stephen H. Gillespie
Primary Institution: University of St Andrews
Hypothesis
Can the time to blood culture positivity be expedited using a Scattered Light Integrated Collection (SLIC) device?
Conclusion
An SLIC device significantly reduced the time to positivity of common bloodstream infection pathogens.
Supporting Evidence
- The median time to positivity for Gram-negative blood cultures on BacT/ALERT was 13.56 hours.
- All pathogens derived from blood cultures at a concentration of 105 c.f.u. ml−1 were detectable in under 70 minutes on SLIC.
- Direct detection from whole blood on SLIC showed a 76% reduction in turnaround time compared to standard workflows.
Takeaway
This study found a new device that can help doctors find out if someone has a blood infection much faster than before.
Methodology
A proof-of-concept study comparing the time to positivity of Gram-negative blood cultures using BacT/ALERT and an SLIC device.
Limitations
The study primarily focused on E. coli and may not represent other pathogens; further multi-centre studies are needed.
Participant Demographics
Healthy volunteers provided blood samples for the study.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p<0.05
Confidence Interval
IQR, 10.57–19.66
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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