The performances of three blood culture systems, Hemoline performance
diphasic medium (bioMerieux, Marcy l'Etoile, France), Bactec Plus Aero
bic/F (Becton Dickinson, Paramus, N.J.), and Vital Aer (bioMerieux),
were compared for the diagnosis of 17 cases of brucellosis. By using a
5-day incubation protocol, positive results were 52.9, 82.4, and 11.8
%, respectively. When the protocol was extended to 7 days, the results
were 76.5, 94.1, and 47.1%, respectively. Bactec was the fastest syst
em (P < 0.05).