Blood culture: an apparently simple procedure.

The detection of living micro-organisms in blood has substantial clinical i mportance. During the last decade there have been a number of advances in b lood culture practice and technology, including the newer continuous-monito ring blood culture systems. Scientific bases for the fundamental principles of blood culturing now exist This review will focus on the clinical import ance of skin antisepsis, the number of blood cultures, the appropriate volu me of blood for culture, culture media, and conditions of incubation for us ual and fastidious emerging micro-organisms. Innovative new systems contrib ute to earlier and better detection of micro-organisms in the bloodstream. However, positive blood culture results need interpretation to distinguish contaminants from pathogens. (C) 1999 Elsevier, Paris.