Aerobic Bacteria, Blood Culture For
Alternate Names : Blood Culture for Aerobic Bacteria
What do the test results mean?
Normal blood does not contain bacteria. If any bacteria are found with this
test, the result is abnormal. This is called a positive test or a positive blood culture. A
positive test generally means one of two things:
The person has bacteria in his or her blood, a condition known as sepsis.
Bacteria may also get into the blood through an open wound, through the use of
intravenous drugs, or on an artificial device inserted into the bloodstream. In most
people, the infection started in another part of the body, such as the lungs or kidneys.
Rarely, the blood sample was contaminated with bacteria that live on the skin. As a
needle is inserted through the skin to collect blood, bacteria from the skin may get on the
needle. To avoid this problem, the skin is cleaned before inserting a needle. Bacteria that
cause contamination are often different from the bacteria that cause serious infections of
the blood.
If a person has a positive test from contamination, no treatment is needed. If
a person has bacteria in his or her blood, antibiotic treatment is needed. This test allows the
bacteria that are causing the infection to be identified and treated. For example, an
antibiotic may kill one type of bacteria and be totally ineffective against another type of
bacteria.
Examples of aerobic bacteria that may cause blood infections include:
Certain Neisseria
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Staphylococcus, or staph
In some cases, a person may have a blood infection, but the test is still
negative. Sometimes, bacteria are only in the blood from time to time, which may make
the test falsely negative. Repeated blood culture tests may be ordered if this type of
situation is suspected.
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