What does blood culture test detect?

Blood cultures are used to detect the presence of bacteria or fungi in the blood, to identify the type present, and to guide treatment. Testing is used to identify a blood infection (septicemia) that can lead to sepsis, a serious and life-threatening complication.

What blood work shows HIV?

A nucleic acid test (NAT)can usually tell you if you have HIV infection 10 to 33 days after an exposure. An antigen/antibody test performed by a laboratory on blood from a vein can usually detect HIV infection 18 to 45 days after an exposure.

What happens if blood culture is positive?

If you get a “positive” result on your blood culture test, it usually means there are bacteria or yeast in your blood. “Negative” means there’s no sign of them.

How long does blood culture test results take?

Results. Most bacteria can be seen in the culture in 2 to 3 days. But some types can take 10 days or longer to show up. Fungus can take up to 30 days to show up in the culture.

How is a positive blood culture treated?

After a blood culture If your doctor suspects that you have a blood infection, they may begin treatment right away via intravenous broad-spectrum antibiotics. This medication can start fighting a wide range of bacteria while you’re waiting for the blood culture or susceptibility testing results.

What happens if you have bacteria in your blood?

Septicemia, the state of having bacteria in your blood, can lead to sepsis. Sepsis is a severe and often life-threatening state of infection if it’s left untreated. But any type of infection — whether bacterial, fungal, or viral — can cause sepsis.

What happens if you have positive blood culture?

If the blood culture is positive, this means you have a bacterial or yeast infection in your blood. The results usually help your doctor identify the specific bacteria or fungi that’s causing the infection.

How serious is a positive blood culture?

If two or more of your blood cultures come back positive for the same type of bacteria or fungi, it’s likely that that’s the type of bacteria or yeast that’s causing your infection. An infection in your blood is serious. You’ll need immediate treatment, probably in a hospital.

How long does a blood infection last?

Most people can make a full recovery from mild sepsis with no lasting complications. With the right care, you can be feeling better in as little as a week or two. If you survive severe sepsis, however, you’re at risk of developing serious complications.

How serious is a bacterial blood infection?

Septicemia occurs when a bacterial infection elsewhere in the body, such as the lungs or skin, enters the bloodstream. This is dangerous because the bacteria and their toxins can be carried through the bloodstream to your entire body. Septicemia can quickly become life-threatening. It must be treated in a hospital.

Do positive blood cultures mean sepsis?

The diagnosis at admission most frequently associated with positive results (69%) was sepsis/septic shock (Table 1; about 50% of patients with sepsis/septic shock had positive blood cultures).

Does sepsis ever leave your body?

Most people make a full recovery from sepsis. But it can take time. You might continue to have physical and emotional symptoms. These can last for months, or even years, after you had sepsis.