CAP Pro Course - Microbiology - Blood Cultures

Continuing Education Credits

• P.A.C.E.® Contact Hours: 1 hour(s)
• Florida Board of Clinical Laboratory Science CE Credit Hours -
  General (Microbiology/Mycology/Parasitology): 1 hour(s)

Objectives

• Describe the reasons for drawing a blood culture, including proper collection methods to maximize yield and minimize contamination.
• Identify factors that optimize recovery of pathogens, including the proper interval between draws, amount of blood necessary per draw, appropriate number of blood cultures, and appropriate media to inoculate/number of bottles to include.
• Identify the source and incidence of the most frequently isolated pathogens in bacteremia, septicemia, endocarditis, and catheter-related infections.
• Define methods of identification for positive blood cultures and report results appropriately.
• Provide methods for determination of clinical relevance of isolates identified in positive blood culture bottle and rule out contaminants.
• Demonstrate special methods that are necessary to isolate fastidious microorganisms.

Course Outline

• Describe the reasons for drawing a blood culture, including proper collection methods to maximize yield and minimize contamination.
• Types of Bloodstream Infections
• Reasons for Requesting Blood Culture Collection
• Collection of Blood by Venipuncture
• Blood Culture Collection Methods That Maximize Yield and Minimize Contamination
• What is the preferred method of blood culture collection?
• What antiseptic is recommended to kill surface and subsurface bacteria on the skin prior to blood culture collection?
• Identify factors that optimize recovery of pathogens, including the proper interval between draws, amount of blood necessary per draw, appropriate number of blood cultures, and appropriate media to inoculate/number of bottles to include.
• Timing of Blood Culture Collection
• Volume of Blood and Number of Cultures Collected
• Manual Blood Culture Systems: Media, Examination, and Timeline
• Automated Blood Culture Systems: Benefits and Examination
• Automated Blood Culture Systems: Timeline and Media
• Subculture of Positive Blood Cultures
• When endocarditis, vascular infections, or device-associated (eg, catheter-related) infections are suspected and it is necessary to document continuou...
• When using automated systems for routine monitoring of blood cultures, how many days are blood cultures generally held for?
• The amount of blood that can be safely collected for blood cultures depends upon which factor?
• Identify the source and incidence of the most frequently isolated pathogens in bacteremia, septicemia, endocarditis, and catheter-related infections.
• Most Commonly Isolated Pathogens: Bacteremia/Septicemia
• Most Commonly Isolated Pathogens: Endocarditis
• Most Commonly Associated Pathogens: Catheter-Related Bacteremia/Septicemia
• Which organism is most likely to be associated with transplant patients?
• The introduction of vaccinations in children has reduced the number of bloodstream infections associated with which organism?
• Which organism (present in the image) is commonly associated with catheter-related bacteremia/septicemia?
• Define methods of identification for positive blood cultures and report results appropriately.
• Conventional Methods for the Identification of Blood Cultures Positive for Gram-Positive Organisms
• Conventional Methods for the Identification of Blood Cultures Positive for Gram-Negative Organisms
• Rapid Methods for the Identification of Positive Blood Cultures
• Performing Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (AST)
• Providing Preliminary Blood Culture Results
• Providing Interim Blood Culture Results
• Final Reporting of Positive Blood Cultures
• Critical Value Reporting
• For which organism should antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) always be performed when isolated from a positive blood culture?
• When reporting positive blood culture results, all of the following information should be included in the interim report, except?
• While working up a gram-positive bacillus that is growing aerobically in a positive blood culture, which select agent of bioterrorism must be ruled-ou...
• A subculture is performed from a positive blood culture and Streptococcus pyogenes (group A strep) is highly suspected. Which test can be performed to...
• Provide methods for determination of clinical relevance of isolates identified in positive blood culture bottle and rule out contaminants.
• Contamination
• Common Skin Flora Contaminants
• Monitoring the Contamination Rate
• Calculating the Contamination Rate
• Which bacteria is often considered a skin flora contaminant when isolated from a single blood culture bottle?
• The contamination rate for blood cultures should be less than which percentage?
• The total number of blood cultures collected in your institution for the month of July was 1,338. Of this total, 57 of those cultures were contaminate...
• Demonstrate special methods that are necessary to isolate fastidious microorganisms.
• Commonly Requested Blood Cultures for Fastidious Bacteria and Media Needed for Recovery
• Commonly Requested Blood Cultures for Fungi, Mycobacterium, and Viruses
• Which of these fastidious organisms are not able to be recovered using routine blood culture isolation methods, even when extending the incubation tim...
• Fungal cultures are incubated at which temperature for optimal recovery?
• The Gram stain from a blood culture bottle is positive for yeast, but nothing grows out on subcultures plated on fungal media. Which of the following ...
• References
• References

Additional Information