title: Clinical importance of blood cultures.
abstract: The presence of bacteremia and fungemia is an indication of the failure of the host's immune system to localize infection at its primary focus or of the physician's failure to remove, drain, or sterilize that focus. This article reviews the ability of the microbiology laboratory to detect bloodstream infections quickly and efficiently.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick.
authors.forename: M P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Weinstein
mesh_terms: D016470:Bacteremia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000382:microbiology; D001431:Bacteriological Techniques; D001769:Blood / Q000382:microbiology*; D016469:Fungemia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000382:microbiology; D006801:Humans; D009172:Mycology / Q000379:methods