This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Reprints and Permissions Copyright Information Books from ASM Press MicrobeWorld Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Yagupsky, P Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Yagupsky, P

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

J Clin Microbiol. 1994 August; 32(8): 1899-1901

Detection of Brucella melitensis by BACTEC NR660 blood culture system.

Clinical Microbiology Laboratory, Soroka Medical Center, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel.

ABSTRACT

Data on the performance of modern blood culture systems for the detection of Brucella spp. are insufficient. To evaluate the performance of the BACTEC NR660 blood culture system for the detection of Brucella melitensis within the routine 1-week blood culture protocol, a prospective 24-month study was conducted in an area endemic for B. melitensis in southern Israel. Blood samples obtained from patients with suspected brucellosis were monitored and blindly subcultured once per week for 4 weeks, and the fraction of blood cultures positive for B. melitensis detected by the BACTEC NR660 instrument within the first week was determined. During the study period, a total of 373 blood cultures were obtained from patients in whom brucellosis was suspected, and 27 (7.2%) of them, drawn from 21 different patients, were positive for B. melitensis. Twenty-one (78.8%) of these positive cultures were detected by the BACTEC instrument within 7 days, and six positive cultures were detected by subculture after 2 or 3 weeks of incubation. It is concluded that the BACTEC NR660 blood culture system detects the majority of B. melitensis isolates within the routine 1-week blood culture schedule. To maximize the recovery of the organism, however, prolonged incubation and periodic performance of blind subcultures are still required.

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Mukherjee, F., Jain, J., Patel, V., Nair, M. (2007). Multiple genus-specific markers in PCR assays improve the specificity and sensitivity of diagnosis of brucellosis in field animals. J Med Microbiol 56: 1309-1316 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Smits, H. L., Abdoel, T. H., Solera, J., Clavijo, E., Diaz, R. (2003). Immunochromatographic Brucella-Specific Immunoglobulin M and G Lateral Flow Assays for Rapid Serodiagnosis of Human Brucellosis. CVI 10: 1141-1146 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Kaneshiro, E. S., Guo, Z., Sul, D., Kallam, K. A., Jayasimhulu, K., Beach, D. H. (1998). Characterizations of Pneumocystis carinii and rat lung lipids: glyceryl ethers and fatty alcohols. J. Lipid Res. 39: 1907-1917 [Abstract] [Full Text]