A 17-year-old female exhibits signs of disseminated gonorrhea. A total of 6 mL of blood was drawn and divided between two bottles of blood culture broth with SPS, each containing a volume of 40 mL. While her endocervical culture grows Neisseria gonorrhoeae, her blood cultures remain negative. What is the explanation for the lack of growth in the blood culture vials?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Too little blood was drawn into the vials, which likely inhibited the growth of the organisms. For optimal detection of bloodstream infections, a sufficient volume of blood needs to be inoculated into culture vials. In adults, the recommended volume is typically between 20 to 30 mL of blood per set of cultures. In this case, only 3 mL of blood was inoculated into each bottle, which is significantly less than the recommended amount, potentially leading to the failure to detect the bacteremia.

A 17-Year-Old Female Exhibits Signs of Disseminated Gonorrhea