CONTROLLED CLINICAL-EVALUATION OF BACTEC PLUS AEROBIC F AND BACT/ALERT AEROBIC FAN BOTTLES FOR DETECTION OF BLOOD-STREAM INFECTIONS/

A total of 7,190 blood culture sets were obtained from adult patients with a suspected bloodstream infection. A 20-ml sample of blood was di stributed equally between the aerobic FAN bottle which was monitored i n the BacT/Alert system and a Plus Aerobic/F bottle which was monitore d in the BACTEC 9240 system, A total of 988 positive cultures were obt ained from 483 patients; however, only 453 positive cultures from 173 patients met the criteria for volume (greater than or equal to 8 mi pe r bottle) and clinical significance on the basis of concurrent case re view required for data analysis, There were 25 and 68 false positives from the FAN and Plus Aerobic/F bottles, respectively, There were no s tatistically significant differences between systems in the number of positive cultures or septic episodes by species; however, the total nu mber of Enterobacteriaceae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates combine d was significantly greater in the FAN bottle (P = 0.04), Detection ti mes did not differ significantly between systems for positive cultures ; however, episodes of Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia were detected significantly more rapidly from the FAN bottle ( = 0.005), There was n o significant difference between systems in the detection of bloodstre am infections in patients receiving antibiotics at the time of blood c ulture.