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Streptococcus pneumoniae antigen test using positive blood culture bottles as an alternative method to diagnose pneumococcal bacteremia.

Petti CA, Woods CW, Reller LB

Clinical Microbiology Laboratory, Duke University Medical Center, Department of Pathology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, USA. cathy.petti@aruplab.com

Recovery of Streptococcus pneumoniae from positive blood culture bottles may be difficult due to autolysis of pneumococci. Therefore, we evaluated the performance of the Binax NOW S. pneumoniae antigen test with samples from positive blood culture bottles and defined the duration of detectable pneumococcal antigen in these bottles. Use of the S. pneumoniae antigen test is an alternative method for identifying S. pneumoniae from positive blood culture bottles and may enable a diagnosis of pneumococcal bacteremia despite negative subcultures.

Published 5 May 2005 in J Clin Microbiol, 43(5): 2510-2.
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