Clinical usefulness of anaerobic blood culture in pediatric patients with bacteremia

Objectives

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the usefulness of anaerobic blood culture in pediatric patients by comparing the detection rate and distribution of bacteria between aerobic and anaerobic blood culture bottles.

Methods

A retrospective analysis was conducted on 11,664 blood cultures obtained from children under the age of 14 between January 2013 and June 2020. The positive rate of total, aerobic, and anaerobic blood culture, as well as the species distribution of each blood culture bottle, were investigated.

Results

The positive rate of blood culture was 2.4 % (N = 281). Among them, 67 (23.8 %), 85 (30.3 %) and 129 (45.9 %) organisms were grown in only aerobic, only anaerobic, and both blood culture bottles, respectively. Gram-positive cocci were cultured on both, only aerobic, and only anaerobic blood culture bottles in proportions of 46.4 %, 23.4 %, and 30.2 %, respectively. Gram-negative bacilli were cultured on both, only aerobic, and only anaerobic blood culture bottles in proportions of 58.5 %, 12,3 %, and 29.2 %, respectively. Gram positive bacilli grew best in aerobic bottle only. There were seven strains of obligate anaerobes.

Conclusion

Because many facultative anaerobic bacteria are recognized primarily from anaerobic blood culture bottles, combining aerobic and anaerobic blood culture bottles might be beneficial in pediatric patients with suspected blood stream infection.