ArticleBMC infectious diseases2023
Blood culture contamination in a tertiary care hospital: a retrospective three-year study.
Article in BMC infectious diseases, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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8 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 16 citations in OpenAlex.
- Pathogenic characterization and drug resistance of neonatal sepsis in China: a systematic review and meta-analysis.European journal of clinical microbiology & infectious diseases : official publication of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology · 2025Pooled it
- Risk factors for blood culture contamination in a tertiary hospital: a one-year retrospective analysis.BMC infectious diseases · 2026Article
- Comparative evaluation of the aggregate index of systemic inflammation (AISI) and its modified version for early detection of central line-associated bloodstream infection: a pilot study using machine learning techniques.GMS hygiene and infection control · 2026Article
- Coagulase-Negative Staphylococci Determined as Blood Culture Contamination Have High Virulence Characteristic Including Transfer of Antibiotic Resistance Determinants toInternational journal of molecular sciences · 2025Article
- Increased incidence of blood culture contaminations during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.Infection · 2025Observational
- Comparative study of antibiotic adsorption capacity of three brands of blood culture bottles.Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · 2025Article
- Early detection of central line-associated bloodstream infection in intensive care unit patients using the systemic inflammatory response index (SIRI).GMS hygiene and infection control · 2025Article
- Evaluation of Bacterial Contamination in Donated Blood for Transfusion Purposes at Kisii Teaching and Referral Hospital.Advances in hematology · 2025Article
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6 authors at 1 institution in 2 countries.
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Abstract
backgroundBloodstream infections (BSI) are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in hospitalized patients worldwide. A blood culture is the primary tool for determining whether a patient has BSI and requires antimicrobial therapy, but it can result in an inappropriate outcome if the isolated microorganisms are deemed contaminants from the skin. Despite the development of medical equipment and technology, there is still a percentage of blood culture contamination. The aims of this study were to detect the blood culture contamination (BCC) rate in a tertiary care hospital in Palestine and to identify the departments with the highest rates along with the microorganisms isolated from the contaminated blood samples.
methodBlood cultures that were taken at An-Najah National University Hospital between January 2019 and December 2021 were evaluated retrospectively. Positive blood cultures were classified as either true positives or false positives based on laboratory results and clinical pictures. Statistical analysis was performed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21. A p-value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant for all analyses.
resultsOut of 10,930 blood cultures performed in the microbiology laboratory from 2019 to 2021, 1479 (13.6%) were identified as positive blood cultures that showed microbial growth. Of these, 453 were blood culture contaminations, representing 4.17% of total blood cultures and 30.63% of the positive blood culture samples. The highest rate of contamination was in the hemodialysis unit (26.49%), followed by the emergency department (15.89%). Staphylococcus epidermidis was the most prevalent (49.2%), followed by Staphylococcus hominis (20.8%) and Staphylococcus haemolyticus (13.2%). The highest annual contamination rate was observed in 2019 (4.78%) followed by 2020 (3.95%) and the lowest was in 2021 (3.79%). The rate of BCC was decreasing, although it did not reach statistically significant levels (P value = 0.085).
conclusionThe rate of BCC is higher than recommended. The rates of BCC are different in different wards and over time. Continuous monitoring and performance improvement projects are needed to minimize blood culture contamination and unnecessary antibiotic use.
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