1
|
Fabre V, Carroll KC, Cosgrove SE. Blood Culture Utilization in the Hospital Setting: a Call for Diagnostic Stewardship. J Clin Microbiol 2022; 60:e0100521. [PMID: 34260274 PMCID: PMC8925908 DOI: 10.1128/jcm.01005-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
There has been significant progress in detection of bloodstream pathogens in recent decades with the development of more sensitive automated blood culture detection systems and the availability of rapid molecular tests for faster organism identification and detection of resistance genes. However, most blood cultures in clinical practice do not grow organisms, suggesting that suboptimal blood culture collection practices (e.g., suboptimal blood volume) or suboptimal selection of patients to culture (i.e., blood cultures ordered for patients with low likelihood of bacteremia) may be occurring. A national blood culture utilization benchmark does not exist, nor do specific guidelines on when blood cultures are appropriate or when blood cultures are of low value and waste resources. Studies evaluating the potential harm associated with excessive blood cultures have focused on blood culture contamination, which has been associated with significant increases in health care costs and negative consequences for patients related to exposure to unnecessary antibiotics and additional testing. Optimizing blood culture performance is important to ensure bloodstream infections (BSIs) are diagnosed while minimizing adverse events from overuse. In this review, we discuss key factors that influence blood culture performance, with a focus on the preanalytical phase, including technical aspects of the blood culture collection process and blood culture indications. We highlight areas for improvement and make recommendations to improve current blood culture practices among hospitalized patients.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Valeria Fabre
- Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Department of Antimicrobial Stewardship, The Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Karen C. Carroll
- Department of Pathology, Division of Medical Microbiology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Sara E. Cosgrove
- Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Department of Antimicrobial Stewardship, The Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
The Addition of Anaerobic Blood Cultures for Pediatric Patients with Concerns for Bloodstream Infections: Prevalence and Time to Positive Cultures. J Clin Microbiol 2020; 58:JCM.01844-19. [PMID: 32641400 DOI: 10.1128/jcm.01844-19] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2019] [Accepted: 06/30/2020] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Anaerobes are an important but uncommon cause of bloodstream infections (BSIs). For pediatric patients, routine inclusion of an anaerobic blood culture alongside the aerobic remains controversial. We implemented automatic anaerobic blood culture alongside aerobic blood cultures in a pediatric emergency department (ED) and sought to determine changes in recovery of obligate and facultative anaerobes. This was a cohort study in a pediatric ED (August 2015 to July 2018) that began in February 2017. Blood culture positivity results for true pathogens and contaminants were assessed, along with a secondary outcome of time to positivity (TTP) of blood culture. A total of 14,180 blood cultures (5,202 preimplementation and 8,978 postimplementation) were collected, with 8.8% (456) and 7.1% (635) positive cultures in the pre- and postimplementation phases, respectively. Of 635 positive cultures in the postimplementation phase, aerobic blood cultures recovered 7.6% (349/4,615), whereas anaerobic blood cultures recovered 6.6% (286/4,363). In 211/421 (50.0%) paired blood cultures, an organism was recovered in both cultures. The number of cases where organisms were only recovered from an aerobic or an anaerobic bottle in the paired cultures were 126 (30.0%) and 84 (20.0%), respectively. The TTP was comparable regardless of bottle type. Recovery of true pathogens from blood cultures was approximately 7 h faster than recovery of contaminants. Although inclusion of anaerobic blood cultures only recovered 2 (0.69%) obligate anaerobes, it did allow for recovery of clinically significant pathogens that were negative in aerobic blood cultures and supports the routine collection of both bottles in pediatric patients with a concern of bloodstream infections.
Collapse
|
3
|
GAJDÁCS MÁRIÓ, URBÁN EDIT. Relevance of anaerobic bacteremia in adult patients: A never-ending story? Eur J Microbiol Immunol (Bp) 2020; 10:64-75. [PMID: 32590337 PMCID: PMC7391379 DOI: 10.1556/1886.2020.00009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2020] [Accepted: 04/19/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Obligate anaerobic bacteria are considered important constituents of the microbiota of humans; in addition, they are also important etiological agents in some focal or invasive infections and bacteremia with a high level of mortality. Conflicting data have accumulated over the last decades regarding the extent in which these pathogens play an intrinsic role in bloodstream infections. Clinical characteristics of anaerobic bloodstream infections do not differ from bacteremia caused by other pathogens, but due to their longer generation time and rigorous growth requirements, it usually takes longer to establish the etiological diagnosis. The introduction of matrix-assisted laser desorption-ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) has represented a technological revolution in microbiological diagnostics, which has allowed for the fast, accurate and reliable identification of anaerobic bacteria at a low sample cost. The purpose of this review article is to summarize the currently available literature data on the prevalence of anaerobic bacteremia in adults for physicians and clinical microbiologists and to shed some light on the complexity of this topic nowadays.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- MÁRIÓ GAJDÁCS
- Department of Pharmacodynamics and Biopharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Szeged, Eötvös utca 6., Szeged, 6720, Hungary
| | - EDIT URBÁN
- Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Szeged, Dóm tér 10., Szeged, 6720, Hungary
- Institute for Translational Medicine, Medical School, University of Pécs, Szigeti út 12., Pécs, 7624, Hungary
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Thé T, Curfman A, Burnham CAD, Hayes E, Schnadower D. Pediatric Anaerobic Blood Culture Practices in Industrialized Countries. J Appl Lab Med 2018; 3:553-558. [PMID: 31639724 DOI: 10.1373/jalm.2018.027128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2018] [Accepted: 10/01/2018] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Routine anaerobic blood culture collection in febrile children is controversial, as clinicians try to account for the severe but relative infrequency of anaerobic bacteremia. Furthermore, clinical and laboratory practice variation among institutions may lead to potentially inaccurate epidemiological data. Our goal was to assess blood culture practices in pediatric patients throughout an international network of hospitals in industrialized countries. METHODS We conducted a survey of current clinical and laboratory practice patterns in a convenience sample of international institutions participating in 6 pediatric emergency research networks in the US, Canada, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. A lead clinician at each institution queried institutional practices from the emergency department, pediatric intensive care unit, and oncology medical directors. The microbiology director at each institution completed the laboratory survey. RESULTS Sixty-five of 160 (41%) invited institutions participated in the survey. Routine anaerobic blood cultures are collected in 30% of emergency departments, 30% of intensive care units, and 48% of oncology wards. Reasons for restricting anaerobic culture collection included concerns regarding blood volume (51%), low pretest probability (22%), and cost-effectiveness (16%). The most common reasons institutions allow for selectively obtaining anaerobic cultures are clinical suspicion (64%) and patients who are immunosuppressed (50%). The microbiology survey showed variation in systems, although most use the BACTEC™ culture system and MALDI-TOF for organism identification. CONCLUSIONS There is broad variation in anaerobic blood culture practices among a network of pediatric hospitals in industrialized countries.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tama Thé
- Division of Emergency Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO;
| | - Alison Curfman
- Division of Emergency Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO
| | - Carey-Ann D Burnham
- Departments of Pathology and Immunology, Molecular Microbiology, and Pediatrics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO
| | - Ericka Hayes
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Pediatrics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO
| | - David Schnadower
- Division of Emergency Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO
| | | |
Collapse
|
5
|
Gross I, Gordon O, Benenson S, Abu Ahmad W, Shimonov A, Hashavya S, Eventov-Friedman S. Using anaerobic blood cultures for infants younger than 90 days rarely showed anaerobic infections but increased yields of bacterial growth. Acta Paediatr 2018; 107:1043-1048. [PMID: 29405376 DOI: 10.1111/apa.14262] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2017] [Revised: 12/13/2017] [Accepted: 01/30/2018] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
AIM The use of anaerobic blood cultures in infants suspected of bacteraemia is controversial. Our children's hospital uses both aerobic and anaerobic media, regardless of the risk of anaerobic infection, and the aim of this study was to re-evaluate the use of anaerobic cultures in infants. METHODS We collected retrospective data from 2002 to 2016 on all blood cultures taken from infants younger than 90 days in the Hadassah-Hebrew University Medical Centre, Jerusalem, Israel. The incidence and characteristics of infants with positive anaerobic blood cultures were assessed. RESULTS During the study period, 51 035 blood cultures were drawn from 44 304 infants. Of these, 1496 (2.9%) were clinically significant positive cultures. Pathogenic obligatory anaerobic bacteraemia was extremely rare, with only 37 positive cultures (0.07%) from all of the cultures drawn. No specific risk factors for obligatory anaerobic bacteraemia could be defined, but as many as 174 (11.6%) clinically significant isolates were only detected in the anaerobic culture bottle. CONCLUSION True anaerobic bacteraemia was extremely rare in neonates. Nevertheless, using anaerobic culture media may increase the overall yield of bacterial culture growth by isolating anaerobic-facultative bacteria. This should be weighed up against increasing the volume of blood used for the aerobic culture.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Itai Gross
- Department of Paediatric; Hadassah and The Hebrew University Medical Centre; Jerusalem Israel
| | - Oren Gordon
- Department of Paediatric; Hadassah and The Hebrew University Medical Centre; Jerusalem Israel
- Department of clinical microbiology and Infectious Diseases; Hadassah and The Hebrew University Medical Centre; Jerusalem Israel
| | - Shmuel Benenson
- Department of clinical microbiology and Infectious Diseases; Hadassah and The Hebrew University Medical Centre; Jerusalem Israel
| | - Wiessam Abu Ahmad
- School of Public Health and Community Medicine; Hadassah and The Hebrew University Medical Centre; Jerusalem Israel
| | - Amir Shimonov
- Faculty of Medicine; Hadassah and The Hebrew University Medical Centre; Jerusalem Israel
| | - Saar Hashavya
- Department of Paediatric Emergency Medicine; Hadassah and The Hebrew University Medical Centre; Jerusalem Israel
| | - Smadar Eventov-Friedman
- Department of Neonatology; Hadassah and The Hebrew University Medical Centre; Jerusalem Israel
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Abstract
BACKGROUND Anaerobic bacteremia is rare in children and current recommendations advocate against the routine use of anaerobic cultures in children. However, the incidence of anaerobic bacteremia and the utility of anaerobic blood cultures in children have not been assessed in recent years. Our pediatric emergency department (PED) policy still supports the use of both aerobic and anaerobic blood cultures in all cases of suspected bacteremia. This allowed us to re-evaluate the yield of anaerobic cultures in PED settings. METHODS Retrospective data of all blood cultures taken in the PED in a single tertiary center from 2002 to 2016 were collected. The incidence and characteristics of children with positive anaerobic blood cultures were assessed. Risk factors for anaerobic bacteremia were defined. RESULTS Of the 68,304 blood culture sets taken during the study period, 971 (1.42%) clinically significant positive cultures were found. Pathogenic obligatory anaerobic bacteria were isolated in 33 (0.05%) cultures. The leading risk factors for anaerobic bacteremia were head and neck abscess and intra-abdominal infection. Of all the true positive cultures, 187 (22%) were only detected in the anaerobic culture and would have otherwise been missed. CONCLUSIONS True anaerobic bacteremia is extremely rare in children admitted to the PED. Nevertheless, using anaerobic cultures may increase the overall yield of blood cultures.
Collapse
|
7
|
Monsonís Cabedo M, Rives Solá S, Noguera-Julian A, Urrea Ayala M, Cruz Martinez O, Gené Giralt A. Assessment of anaerobic blood cultures in pediatric oncology patients. Enferm Infecc Microbiol Clin 2016; 35:33-36. [PMID: 27221161 DOI: 10.1016/j.eimc.2016.04.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2016] [Revised: 04/15/2016] [Accepted: 04/21/2016] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The routine use of a single aerobic bottle for blood culture in pediatric patients has become commonplace, as anaerobic bacteria are not frequently involved in clinically significant infections. The aim of this study was to assess the usefulness of routinely performing anaerobic blood cultures in pediatric oncology patients. METHODS Prospective study was conducted on pediatric (<18 years) patients affected with febrile syndrome after receiving chemotherapy for hematological or solid malignancies. Samples were inoculated into pediatric aerobic and standard anaerobic bottles (BacT/Alert automatic system). Strains were considered clinically significant, or deemed as contaminants, depending on isolation circumstances and clinical criteria. RESULTS A total of 876 blood cultures from 228 patients were processed during the 21-month study period (January 2014 to September 2015). Baseline diagnosis included 143 solid tumors and 67/18 cases of leukemia/lymphoma. Bacterial growth was detected in 90 (10.2%) blood cultures for 95 different isolates, of which 62 (7.1%)/63 isolates were considered clinically significant. Among the latter, 38 (60.3%) microorganisms grew in both aerobic and anaerobic bottles, 18 (28.6%) only in aerobic bottles, and 7 (11.1%) only in anaerobic bottles. Gram-negative bacilli (33; 52.4%), mainly from the Enterobacteriaceae family, were the most frequently isolated microorganisms. Overall, only 3 out of 90 isolates (3.3%) were strict anaerobes (Propionibacterium acnes), and all of them were deemed contaminants. CONCLUSION Strict anaerobes did not cause significant infections in febrile pediatric oncology patients, and anaerobic blood culture bottles offered no additional advantages over aerobic media. Our results suggest that routine blood cultures should be solely processed in aerobic media in this group of patients.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Manuel Monsonís Cabedo
- Department of Microbiology, Hospital Sant Joan de Déu, Esplugues de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Susana Rives Solá
- Department of Haematology and Oncology, Hospital Sant Joan de Déu, Esplugues de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Antoni Noguera-Julian
- Infectious Diseases Unit, Department of Pediatrics, Hospital Sant Joan de Déu, Esplugues de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Mireia Urrea Ayala
- Infections Control Unit, Hospital Sant Joan de Déu, Esplugues de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Ofelia Cruz Martinez
- Department of Haematology and Oncology, Hospital Sant Joan de Déu, Esplugues de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Amadeu Gené Giralt
- Department of Microbiology, Hospital Sant Joan de Déu, Esplugues de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain.
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Hufnagel M, Burger A, Bartelt S, Henneke P, Berner R. Secular trends in pediatric bloodstream infections over a 20-year period at a tertiary care hospital in Germany. Eur J Pediatr 2008; 167:1149-59. [PMID: 18231812 DOI: 10.1007/s00431-007-0651-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2007] [Revised: 11/28/2007] [Accepted: 12/03/2007] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Over the last 20 years, a number of medical innovations with impact on the incidence of bacterial and fungal bloodstream infections (BSIs) in children have been developed and implemented. Although appropriate empirical antimicrobial therapy is a prerequisite to the successful treatment of BSIs, to date, epidemiological data on long-term microbiological trends in BSIs of hospitalized children have not been available. METHODS Two cohorts of pediatric patients who were hospitalized in a single-center tertiary care hospital in Germany over a 20-year time span (period A from 1985 to 1995 vs. period B from 1997 to 2006) were retrospectively analyzed and compared with respect to the epidemiology and microbiology of BSIs. RESULTS A total of 1,646 cases of monomicrobial BSIs were detected. The rate of positive blood culture results dropped from 4.5% in period A to 2.0% in period B. The proportion of gram-positive vs. gram-negative pathogens recovered from blood cultures remained stable. Among gram-positive pathogens, an increase in enterococci (3.3% vs. 8.2%) and in coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) (22.9 vs. 28.2%) was observed. In contrast, BSIs caused by Staphylococcus aureus (16.4% vs. 11.7%), Streptococcus agalactiae (4.9% vs. 2.1%), Haemophilus influenzae (7.3% vs. 0.7%), and Neisseria meningitidis (1.9% vs. 0.5%) diminished. In analyzing subgroups, an increase of enterococcal and CoNS infections was noted among patients with immunosuppression and neonatal early-onset sepsis (EOS), while a decrease was found among late-onset sepsis (LOS) cases with S. viridans. Notably, aminopenicillin-resistant enterococci and aminopenicillin- and fluoroquinolone-resistant Enterobacteriaceae all increased over time, while the overall resistance pattern was still favorable. The overall mortality rate of BSIs decreased (5.2% vs. 2.6%). CONCLUSIONS Over the 20-year study period, the spectrum of specific microorganisms among BSIs shifted, with opportunistic pathogens becoming predominant. Despite an increase in the proportion of antibiotic-resistant organisms, however, the mortality rate decreased.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Markus Hufnagel
- Center for Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, University Medical Center Freiburg, Mathildenstr. 1, 79106, Freiburg, Germany.
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|