A test called a blood culture is done to see if there is an infection of the blood. There are different types of blood culture tests. One of these tests checks for a type of organism called anaerobic bacteria.

Bacteria are tiny organisms that live in the body and the environment. Anaerobic bacteria are bacteria that can live and grow without oxygen. Some of these bacteria are killed when exposed to oxygen, however others can survive with or without oxygen.

Some bacteria cause illness. Others pose no problems to humans or may be helpful. But even harmless bacteria can become harmful if certain conditions allow them to:

Who is a candidate for the test?

This test is done most often on very young or old people and people with weakened immune systems. However, this test may be done anytime a person has a serious infection. This is because most severe infections can spread to the blood. For example, kidney and lung infections are two of the most common causes of blood infections.

Signs of a blood infection may include:

Other symptoms are often due to the underlying infection that has spread to the blood. For example, a person with a lung infection may have a cough.

How is the test performed?

Blood samples for this test are usually taken from veins in the forearm or back of the hand. The samples may be taken from two different sites. This increases the likelihood of detecting bacteria in the blood. This can also help to rule out contamination of the test by bacteria from the skin or from another source. Two or more blood samples may be collected from each site so anaerobic and aerobic bacteria can both be detected. Aerobic bacteria, like people, need oxygen to live and grow.

First, a band is tied around the upper arm. This enlarges the veins below. The puncture site is cleaned. A needle is then inserted into a vein. Blood is collected and placed into a vial. The vial contains special food to allow the bacteria to grow. The vial has no air in it, because some anaerobic bacteria may be killed by oxygen. The needle is removed from the person's arm and the vial is sent to the lab. A bandage is put on the puncture site to stop any bleeding.

In the lab, the vial is watched to see if bacteria grow. It takes from 24 to 72 hours or longer for anaerobic bacteria to grow. If bacteria grow, the lab can identify them using special tests.