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Relevance Of Blood Culture To The Diagnosis And Treatment Of Septicemia
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1.1 BLOOD CULTURE
Thisis a culture of blood microbiologically
that is employed for the detection of diseases which are spreading
through the bloodstream. One of such disease is septicemia. This culture
of blood is possible because the bloodstream is usually a sterile
environment and it is carried out through a laboratory test which will
check for bacteria or other microorganisms in a blood sample. Most
cultures check for bacteria. A culture may be done using a sample of
blood, tissue, stool, urine, or other fluid from the body.
When signs
or symptoms of a systemic infection is noticed in a patient, results
from a blood culture can verify that an infection is present, and they
can identify the type (or types) of microorganism that is responsible
for the infection. A good example is when blood tests identifies the
causative organisms in neonatal epiglottitis, sepsis, severe pneumonia,
puerperal fever and fever of unknown origin (FUO). However, negative
growths do not exclude infection. The usual risks of venipuncture and
the occurrence of false positive results approximately 3%+ of the time,
can lead to inappropriate treatment (Madeo et al., 2003).
1.2 SEPTICAEMIA
Septicaemia
is often referred to as either blood poisoning, bacteremia or sepsis,
although it could be argued that each of the terms are not entirely
accurate, but are often used interchangeably by scientists (Al-Khafaji
et al., 2010). Sepsis is not just limited to the blood and can affect
the whole body, including the organs.
Septicaemia (another name for
blood poisoning) refers to a bacterial infection of the blood, whereas
sepsis can also be caused by viral or fungal infections.
Septicaemia
also known as Sepsis is a condition that arises when the body’s response
to infection injures its own tissues and organs (Deutschman and Tracey,
2014).Common signs and symptoms include fever, increased heart rate,
increased breathing rate, and confusion. (CDC, 2014). There may also be
symptoms related to a specific infection, such as a cough with
pneumonia, or painful urination with a kidney infection. In the very
young, old, and people with a weakened immune system, there may be no
symptoms of a specific infection and the body temperature may be low or
normal rather than high(MartÃ-Carvajal et al., 2012). Severe sepsis is
sepsis causing poor organ function or insufficient blood flow.
Insufficient blood flow may be evident by low blood pressure, high blood
lactate, or low urine output. Septic shock is low blood pressure due to
sepsis that does not improve after reasonable amounts of intravenous
fluids are given (Dellinger et al., 2013).
Sepsis is caused by an
immune response triggered by an infection (Jui, 2011; Deutschman and
Tracey, 2014). The infection is most commonly bacterial, but it can
also be from fungi, viruses, or parasites (Jui, 2011) Common locations
for the primary infection include: lungs, brain, urinary tract, skin,
andabdominal organs. Risk factors include young or old age, a weakened
immune system from conditions such as cancer or diabetes, and major
trauma or burns (CDC, 2014). Diagnosis is based on meeting at least two
systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) criteria due to a
presumed infection. Blood cultures are recommended preferably before
antibiotics are started; however, infection of the blood is not required
for the diagnosis (Jui, 2011). Medical imaging should be done to look
for the possible location of infection (Patel and Balk, 2012). Other
potential causes of similar signs and symptoms include: anaphylaxis,
adrenal insufficiency, low blood volume, heart failure, andpulmonary
embolism among others (Jui, 2011).
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ABSRACT - [ Total Page(s): 1 ]A study of septicaemia was conducted in Enugu metropolis with a view to determine the relevance of blood culture to the diagnosis and treatment of this disease. The subjects comprised of three hundred and fifty (350) children and adults of both sexes aged between one day to 70 years having clinical features suggestive of septicaemia, who were on admission at University Of Nigeria Teaching Hospitals (UNTH), Enugu. Their blood specimens were seeded into thioglycolateand glucose broths and incu ... Continue reading---
