The samples collected between October 2011 and September 2012 were processed using CCM, while those collected between October 2012 and September 2013 were processed using BCS. The 2 processes were compared in terms of total number of requests, recovery rate, turnaround time (TAT), and detectiontime.
RESULTS:
The positive rate using CCM was 18.2% (575/3,151), where 845 isolates were recovered from 575 specimens. Using BCS, the positive rate was 28.3% (922/3,260), where 1,472 isolates were recovered from 922 specimens. While comparing the 2 methods on terms of yield of clinically significant isolates, a greater number of fungi (1.2%) and anaerobic bacteria (1.4%) were recovered using BCS as compared to using CCM. The difference in TAT for positive samples was 24 hours and 40 minutes, where BCS had a shorter TAT than CCM. The mean detectiontime of 951 positive samples by BCS was 19 hours and 56 minutes. Growth of clinically significant isolates was detected within 24 hours.
CONCLUSIONS:
BCS for culture of BFs showed an improvement in recovery rate, number of isolates, and TAT as compared to CCM. Thus, BCS is a suitable alternative for culture of BFs.