Rogues A M, Sarlangue J, de Barbeyrac B, Doerman H P, Helmer C, Labadie J C, Delfeau C, Sandler B, Bebear C, Gachie J P
Service d'Hygiène Hospitalière, Hôpital Pellegrin, Bordeaux, France.
Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol. 1999 May;20(5):345-7. doi: 10.1086/501630.
Agrobacterium radiobacter was isolated from 15 blood cultures collected from 15 newborns. Contamination of blood cultures was suspected because, in most cases, the babies' illnesses seemed incompatible with infection. A radiobacter was isolated from citrated tubes used for clotting-factor studies. Review of venipuncture technique revealed that occasionally the coagulation study tubes were being inoculated before the blood-culture bottles. This investigation demonstrated how an environmental source coupled with faulty technique caused a cluster of false-positive blood cultures.
