Introduction of Gram negative microrganisms rapid identification and direct susceptibility testing to reduce turnaround time in blood cultures

Background. Bloodstream infections and sepsis are a major cause of morbidity and mortality. The successful outcome of patients suffering from bacteremia depends on a rapid identification of the infectious agent to guide optimal antibiotic treatment. Beginning antimicrobial therapy early is vital for the treatment of bloodstream infections and sepsis. Reducing the time for microbial identification and antimicrobial susceptibility testing could decrease the average time needed for an appropriate antimicrobial therapy which leads to a decrease in mortality, a shortened hospital stay, and lower hospitalization costs.
Methods. The direct identification and the antibiotic susceptibility testing evaluated with disk diffusion directly from blood cultures provided excellent results in Gram-negative.
Results and Conclusions. Our study reveals the importance of direct methods that significantly reduce the turn around time and therefore has an impact on the successful outcome of patients suffering from bloodstream infections.