Agrobacterium radiobacter as a cause of pseudobacteremia

Agrobacterium radiobacter was isolated from 15 blood cultures collected fro m 15 newborns. Contamination of blood cultures was suspected because, in mo st cases, the babies' illnesses seemed incompatible with infection. A radio bacter was isolated from citrated tubes used for clotting-factor studies. R eview of venipuncture technique revealed that occasionally the coagulation study tubes were being inoculated before the blood-culture bottles. This in vestigation demonstrated how an environmental source coupled with faulty te chnique caused a cluster of false-positive blood cultures.