Time To Blood Culture Positivity Predicts Infective Endocarditis
By LabMedica International staff writers Posted on 16 Aug 2018 |

Image: Mannitol salt agar plate with oxacillin showing methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (Photo courtesy of Medical College, Pondicherry).
Blood cultures are used to detect the presence of bacteria or fungi in the blood, to identify the type present, and to guide treatment. Testing is used to identify a blood infection (septicemia) that can lead to sepsis, a serious and life-threatening complication.
Time to blood culture positivity (TTP), a routinely available parameter in automated blood culture systems, may be a proxy for infectious burden in patients with bloodstream infections. The association between TTP and infective endocarditis (IE), or death, in patients with Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia has been studied.
French scientists collaborating with the Université Rennes-1 (Rennes, France) carried out a multicenter prospective cohort study that included all adult patients with S. aureus bacteremia in eight university hospitals in France (2009-2011). They analyzed data from four centers, which collected data on TTP. Regression models were used to study the association between TTP and definite IE (Duke-Li criteria), and 30-day mortality.
The investigators included 587 patients with S. aureus bacteremia: mean age was 65.3±16.3 years, 420/587 patients (71.6%) were male, 121/587 (20.6%) died, and 42/587 (7.2%) had definite IE. Median TTP of first positive blood culture was 13.7 hours (interquartile range, 9.9-18). On multivariate analysis, 30-day mortality was associated with TTP≤13.7 hours (74/295 (25.1%) versus 47/292 (16.1%), as well as old age, McCabe score, methicillin resistance, stroke, pneumonia, and C-Reactive Protein. TTP was also independently associated with IE, but with a U-shape curve: IE was more common in the first (TTP<10 hours, 17/148, 11.5%), and the last (TTP>18 hours, 8/146, 5.5%) quartiles of TTP.
The authors concluded that TTP provides reliable information in patients with S. aureus bacteremia, on the risk of IE, and prognosis, with short TTP being an independent predictor of death. This data readily available at no cost may be used to identify patients who require specific attention. The study was published on July 20, 2018, in the journal Clinical Microbiology and Infection.
Related Links:
Université Rennes-1
Time to blood culture positivity (TTP), a routinely available parameter in automated blood culture systems, may be a proxy for infectious burden in patients with bloodstream infections. The association between TTP and infective endocarditis (IE), or death, in patients with Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia has been studied.
French scientists collaborating with the Université Rennes-1 (Rennes, France) carried out a multicenter prospective cohort study that included all adult patients with S. aureus bacteremia in eight university hospitals in France (2009-2011). They analyzed data from four centers, which collected data on TTP. Regression models were used to study the association between TTP and definite IE (Duke-Li criteria), and 30-day mortality.
The investigators included 587 patients with S. aureus bacteremia: mean age was 65.3±16.3 years, 420/587 patients (71.6%) were male, 121/587 (20.6%) died, and 42/587 (7.2%) had definite IE. Median TTP of first positive blood culture was 13.7 hours (interquartile range, 9.9-18). On multivariate analysis, 30-day mortality was associated with TTP≤13.7 hours (74/295 (25.1%) versus 47/292 (16.1%), as well as old age, McCabe score, methicillin resistance, stroke, pneumonia, and C-Reactive Protein. TTP was also independently associated with IE, but with a U-shape curve: IE was more common in the first (TTP<10 hours, 17/148, 11.5%), and the last (TTP>18 hours, 8/146, 5.5%) quartiles of TTP.
The authors concluded that TTP provides reliable information in patients with S. aureus bacteremia, on the risk of IE, and prognosis, with short TTP being an independent predictor of death. This data readily available at no cost may be used to identify patients who require specific attention. The study was published on July 20, 2018, in the journal Clinical Microbiology and Infection.
Related Links:
Université Rennes-1
Latest Microbiology News
- Handheld Device Delivers Low-Cost TB Results in Less Than One Hour
- New AI-Based Method Improves Diagnosis of Drug-Resistant Infections
- Breakthrough Diagnostic Technology Identifies Bacterial Infections with Almost 100% Accuracy within Three Hours
- Innovative ID/AST System to Help Diagnose Infectious Diseases and Combat AMR
- Gastrointestinal Panel Delivers Rapid Detection of Five Common Bacterial Pathogens for Outpatient Use
- Rapid PCR Testing in ICU Improves Antibiotic Stewardship
- Unique Genetic Signature Predicts Drug Resistance in Bacteria
- Unique Barcoding System Tracks Pneumonia-Causing Bacteria as They Infect Blood Stream
- Rapid Sepsis Diagnostic Test Demonstrates Improved Patient Care and Cost Savings in Hospital Application
- Rapid Diagnostic System to Detect Neonatal Sepsis Within Hours
- Novel Test to Diagnose Bacterial Pneumonia Directly from Whole Blood
- Interferon-γ Release Assay Effective in Patients with COPD Complicated with Pulmonary Tuberculosis
- New Point of Care Tests to Help Reduce Overuse of Antibiotics
- 30-Minute Sepsis Test Differentiates Bacterial Infections, Viral Infections, and Noninfectious Disease
- CRISPR-TB Blood Test to Enable Early Disease Diagnosis and Public Screening
- Syndromic Panel Provides Fast Answers for Outpatient Diagnosis of Gastrointestinal Conditions
Channels
Clinical Chemistry
view channel
‘Brilliantly Luminous’ Nanoscale Chemical Tool to Improve Disease Detection
Thousands of commercially available glowing molecules known as fluorophores are commonly used in medical imaging, disease detection, biomarker tagging, and chemical analysis. They are also integral in... Read more
Low-Cost Portable Screening Test to Transform Kidney Disease Detection
Millions of individuals suffer from kidney disease, which often remains undiagnosed until it has reached a critical stage. This silent epidemic not only diminishes the quality of life for those affected... Read more
New Method Uses Pulsed Infrared Light to Find Cancer's 'Fingerprints' In Blood Plasma
Cancer diagnoses have traditionally relied on invasive or time-consuming procedures like tissue biopsies. Now, new research published in ACS Central Science introduces a method that utilizes pulsed infrared... Read moreMolecular Diagnostics
view channel
RNA Blood Test Detects Cancers and Resistance to Treatment
A newly developed blood test offers the ability to detect cancer, understand how cancer resists treatments, and assess tissue damage from non-cancerous conditions. This innovative test, created by researchers... Read more
IL-6 Outperforms Traditional Tests for Early Sepsis Detection
Sepsis, a severe and life-threatening condition caused by the immune system’s exaggerated response to infection, remains a major cause of death globally, responsible for approximately 11 million fatalities... Read moreHematology
view channel
New Scoring System Predicts Risk of Developing Cancer from Common Blood Disorder
Clonal cytopenia of undetermined significance (CCUS) is a blood disorder commonly found in older adults, characterized by mutations in blood cells and a low blood count, but without any obvious cause or... Read more
Non-Invasive Prenatal Test for Fetal RhD Status Demonstrates 100% Accuracy
In the United States, approximately 15% of pregnant individuals are RhD-negative. However, in about 40% of these cases, the fetus is also RhD-negative, making the administration of RhoGAM unnecessary.... Read moreImmunology
view channel
Stem Cell Test Predicts Treatment Outcome for Patients with Platinum-Resistant Ovarian Cancer
Epithelial ovarian cancer frequently responds to chemotherapy initially, but eventually, the tumor develops resistance to the therapy, leading to regrowth. This resistance is partially due to the activation... Read more
Machine Learning-Enabled Blood Test Predicts Immunotherapy Response in Lymphoma Patients
Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy has emerged as one of the most promising recent developments in the treatment of blood cancers. However, over half of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) patients... Read morePathology
view channel
Rapid, Ultra-Sensitive, PCR-Free Detection Method Makes Genetic Analysis More Accessible
Genetic testing has been an important method for detecting infectious diseases, diagnosing early-stage cancer, ensuring food safety, and analyzing environmental DNA. For a long time, polymerase chain reaction... Read more
Spit Test More Accurate at Identifying Future Prostate Cancer Risk
Currently, blood tests that measure the level of a protein called prostate-specific antigen (PSA) are commonly used to identify men at higher risk for prostate cancer. This test is typically used based... Read more
DNA Nanotechnology Boosts Sensitivity of Test Strips
Since the Covid-19 pandemic, most people have become familiar with paper-based rapid test strips, also known as lateral flow immunoassays (LFIAs). These tests are used to quickly detect biomarkers that... Read more
Novel UV and Machine Learning-Aided Method Detects Microbial Contamination in Cell Cultures
Cell therapy holds great potential in treating diseases such as cancers, inflammatory conditions, and chronic degenerative disorders by manipulating or replacing cells to restore function or combat disease.... Read moreTechnology
view channel
Disposable Microchip Technology Could Selectively Detect HIV in Whole Blood Samples
As of the end of 2023, approximately 40 million people globally were living with HIV, and around 630,000 individuals died from AIDS-related illnesses that same year. Despite a substantial decline in deaths... Read more
Pain-On-A-Chip Microfluidic Device Determines Types of Chronic Pain from Blood Samples
Chronic pain is a widespread condition that remains difficult to manage, and existing clinical methods for its treatment rely largely on self-reporting, which can be subjective and especially problematic... Read more
Innovative, Label-Free Ratiometric Fluorosensor Enables More Sensitive Viral RNA Detection
Viruses present a major global health risk, as demonstrated by recent pandemics, making early detection and identification essential for preventing new outbreaks. While traditional detection methods are... Read moreIndustry
view channel
Cepheid and Oxford Nanopore Technologies Partner on Advancing Automated Sequencing-Based Solutions
Cepheid (Sunnyvale, CA, USA), a leading molecular diagnostics company, and Oxford Nanopore Technologies (Oxford, UK), the company behind a new generation of sequencing-based molecular analysis technologies,... Read more
Grifols and Tecan’s IBL Collaborate on Advanced Biomarker Panels
Grifols (Barcelona, Spain), one of the world’s leading producers of plasma-derived medicines and innovative diagnostic solutions, is expanding its offer in clinical diagnostics through a strategic partnership... Read more