title: Use of buffy-coat smears in the diagnosis of septicaemia in children.
abstract: Gram-stained buffy-coat smears from venous and capillary blood samples in 105 children suspected of septicaemia were examined for the presence of bacteria and the results compared with blood culture isolates. Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria were identified in 18 venous (44%) and 19 capillary (46%) buffy-coat preparations in 41 instances where bacterial organisms were isolated from the blood cultures. It is concluded that the examination of buffy-coat smears for bacteria in children suspected of septicaemia is a useful adjunct to blood cultures and, in areas where no facilities exist for culture of blood, may be a simple and rapid method of establishing the diagnosis of bacteraemia in suspected patients.
mesh_terms: D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000382:microbiology; D002675:Child, Preschool; D006090:Gram-Negative Bacteria / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006094:Gram-Positive Bacteria / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D007962:Leukocytes / Q000166:cytology*; D018805:Sepsis / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000382:microbiology