Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2019 Oct 30;33(1):e00009-19.
doi: 10.1128/CMR.00009-19. Print 2019 Dec 18.

Practical Guidance for Clinical Microbiology Laboratories: A Comprehensive Update on the Problem of Blood Culture Contamination and a Discussion of Methods for Addressing the Problem

Gary V Doern  1 , Karen C Carroll  2 , Daniel J Diekema  3 , Kevin W Garey  4 , Mark E Rupp  5 , Melvin P Weinstein  6 , Daniel J Sexton  7
Affiliations
Review

Practical Guidance for Clinical Microbiology Laboratories: A Comprehensive Update on the Problem of Blood Culture Contamination and a Discussion of Methods for Addressing the Problem

Gary V Doern et al. Clin Microbiol Rev. .

Abstract

In this review, we present a comprehensive discussion of matters related to the problem of blood culture contamination. Issues addressed include the scope and magnitude of the problem, the bacteria most often recognized as contaminants, the impact of blood culture contamination on clinical microbiology laboratory function, the economic and clinical ramifications of contamination, and, perhaps most importantly, a systematic discussion of solutions to the problem. We conclude by providing a series of unanswered questions that pertain to this important issue.

Keywords: blood culture contamination.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

FIG 1
FIG 1
Consequences of blood culture contamination.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Richter SS, Beekman SE, Croco JL, Diekema DJ, Koontz FP, Pfaller MA, Doern GV. 2002. Minimizing the workup of blood culture contaminants: implementation and evaluation of a laboratory-based algorithm. J Clin Microbiol 40:2437–2444. doi:10.1128/jcm.40.7.2437-2444.2002. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Weinstein MP, Towns ML, Quartey SM, Mirrett S, Reimer LG, Parmigiani G, Reller LB. 1997. The clinical significance of positive blood cultures in the 1990s: a prospective comprehensive evaluation of the microbiology, epidemiology, and outcome of bacteremia and fungemia in adults. Clin Infect Dis 24:584–602. doi:10.1093/clind/24.4.584. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Pien BC, Sundaram P, Raoof N, Costa SF, Mirrett S, Woods CW, Reller LB, Weinstein MP. 2010. Evaluation of the microbiology, epidemiology, and outcome of bloodstream infections in hospitalized adults. Am J Med 123:819–828. doi:10.1016/j.amjmed.2010.03.021. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Story-Roller E, Weinstein MP. 2016. Chlorhexidine versus tincture of iodine for reduction of blood culture contamination rates: a prospective randomized crossover study. J Clin Microbiol 54:3007–3009. doi:10.1128/JCM.01457-16. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Gilligan P. 2013. Blood culture contamination: a clinical and financial burden. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 34:1–2. - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources