Vibrio cholerae bacteremia associated with gastrectomy.

Bacteremia due to Vibrio cholerae is rare. Each of 15 cases previously reported in the English language literature occurred in the setting of immune deficiency. We describe an instance of non-serogroup O1 V. cholerae septicemia in an otherwise healthy patient. Susceptibility to such infection may have been enhanced by a prior gastrectomy for duodenal ulcer.

Comparison of an agar slide blood culture device with Bactec 6B for the detection of bacteremia.

Each of 1,018 blood culture specimens was inoculated into Bactec 6B (Johnston Laboratories, Towson, MD) and a biphasic blood culture system that incorporates internal removable agar dip slides (Hylab). Ninety clinically significant pathogens were recovered: 66 from both systems, 14 from Bactec only, and 10 from Hylab only. The mean incubation times to positive of the two systems did not differ when data were examined for gram-negative bacilli, gram-positive cocci, total isolates, and contaminants (P greater than 0.05). Contamination rates were also comparable: Bactec 5.4%, Hylab 7.3% (P greater than 0.05). The Hylab system may offer a practical alternative to Bactec 6B.

Influence of patient hemogram on growth index values generated from a radiometric detection device.

Blood samples from 20 patients with widely varying concentrations of erythrocytes and leukocyte subtypes were inoculated into BACTEC 6B bottles (Johnston Laboratories, Inc., Towson, Md.). There was no relationship between growth index value and hemogram. Although sterile blood is capable of generating small amounts of 14CO2, the mechanism for this phenomenon is not related to the concentration of a specific type of blood cell.