Can blood culture measure predict outcomes in specific type of bacteremia?

Time to blood culture positivity could help identify patients at risk of certain adverse outcomes.

In a retrospective study published in the European Journal of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases, investigators examined whether outcomes such as infective endocarditis, sepsis, clinical deterioration within 48 hours of blood culture collection and mortality could be predicted with time to blood culture positivity in more than 400 patients who experienced Streptococcus agalactiae bacteremia between 2016 and 2023.

The investigators identified 23 cases of infective endocarditis and 40 deaths within 30 days. They found that there were no statistically significant differences in time to blood culture positivity among patients who survived and those who died within 30 days; however, compared with those who didn’t have infective endocarditis, the patients who did have the condition had notably lower levels of time to blood culture positivity.

As a result of the findings, the investigators indicated that the time to blood culture positivity measure could potentially be used to predict infective endocarditis risk in patients with S. agalactiae bacteremia — particularly older adults with comorbidities.

Read more: European Journal of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases

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