title: Prolonged incubation and extensive subculturing do not increase recovery of clinically significant microorganisms from standard automated blood cultures.
abstract: An extensive blood culture protocol, including prolonged incubation of cultures, for 215 patients believed to have had endocarditis yielded only 3 clinically relevant results. Twenty-four Haemophilus, Actinobacillus, Cardiobacterium, Eikenella, and Kingella (i.e., HACEK) organisms were recovered from standard 5-day blood cultures during the same time period. Specialized methods and not extended incubation times are recommended for recovery of fastidious agents of septicemia.
authors.affiliation: Division of Infectious Diseases and Geographic Medicine, Department of Pathology, Stanford University Medical College, Stanford, CA 94305-5250, USA. ejbaron@stanford.edu
authors.forename: Ellen Jo
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Baron
authors.forename: John D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Scott
authors.forename: Lucy S
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Tompkins
mesh_terms: D016470:Bacteremia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000382:microbiology; D001419:Bacteria / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D001431:Bacteriological Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D003470:Culture Media; D004697:Endocarditis, Bacterial / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000382:microbiology; D006801:Humans; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D003470:Culture Media