AUTHOR=Lamy Brigitte , Dargère Sylvie , Arendrup Maiken C. , Parienti Jean-Jacques , Tattevin Pierre 

TITLE=How to Optimize the Use of Blood Cultures for the Diagnosis of Bloodstream Infections? A State-of-the Art

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Microbiology

VOLUME=7

YEAR=2016

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2016.00697

DOI=10.3389/fmicb.2016.00697

ISSN=1664-302X

ABSTRACT=<p>Bloodstream infection (BSI) is a major cause of death in developed countries and the detection of microorganisms is essential in managing patients. Despite major progress has been made to improve identification of microorganisms, blood culture (BC) remains the gold standard and the first line tool for detecting BSIs. Consensus guidelines are available to ensure optimal BSI procedures, but BC practices often deviate from the recommendations. This review provides an update on clinical and technical issues related to blood collection and to BC performance, with a special focus on the blood sample strategy to optimize the sensitivity and specificity of BCs.</p>