Previous Article | Next Article ![]()
Journal of Clinical Microbiology, 05 1997, 1166-1171, Vol 35, No. 5
PL Welby-Sellenriek, DS Keller, RJ Ferrett and GA Storch
We compared the BacT/Alert system using the aerobic FAN bottle with the ESP
system using the 80A aerobic bottle for the detection of pediatric
bloodstream pathogens at a children's hospital. From 6,636 blood culture
sets complying with the inclusion criteria, 308 pathogens were detected,
including 177 that were detected by both systems, 69 that were detected by
BacT/Alert FAN only, and 62 that were detected by ESP 80A only (P = 0.6;
not significant). BacT/Alert FAN detected more isolates of Staphylococcus
aureus (47 versus 34; P = 0.02), while ESP 80A detected more episodes of
streptococcal and enterococcal infection. BacT/Alert FAN detected more
pathogens from patients receiving antibiotic therapy (107 versus 93; P =
0.04). Of 248 separate episodes of bacteremia or fungemia, 146 were
detected by both systems, 56 were detected by ESP 80A only, and 46 were
detected by BacT/Alert FAN only (P = 0.37; not significant). The median
times to detection were 13.6 h for ESP 80A and 15.7 h for BacT/Alert FAN (P
< 0.001). Both systems were considered easy to operate and were free
from significant mechanical difficulties. False-positive or false-negative
signals were rare or nonexistent with both systems. We conclude that both
systems rapidly detect a broad range of pediatric bloodstream pathogens.
BacT/Alert FAN provides better detection of Staphylococcus aureus,
especially from patients receiving antibiotics. ESP 80A provides better
detection of streptococci and enterococci.
Copyright © 1997 by the American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
Comparison of the BacT/Alert FAN aerobic and the Difco ESP 80A aerobic bottles for pediatric blood cultures
Edward Mallinckrodt Department of Pediatrics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA.
This article has been cited by other articles:
| Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. | Clin. Microbiol. Rev. |
|---|---|
| Clin. Vaccine Immunol. | ALL ASM JOURNALS |
|---|