Imagine you have sepsis whole human blood (heparin), if you centrifuge, where the bacteria/fungi will be at? Are the bugs in plasma or with human cell?
Assuming there are any present in the sample,(and that may depend on antibiotic therapy etc),you would expect to find any bacteria in the fluid at the point where it's density matches that of the fluid around it,if you are using density gradient methods.
The organisms(bacterial or fungal) would be found in the extracellular fluid(plasma),whereas viruses are more likely to be intracellular.
If you search on density gradient ultracentrifugation that may be of some use.
I couldn't find a report of blood separating the bacteria from the blood cells by centrifuging the tubes.. However, due to the difference in density ratio between cells and bacteria, there will also be a large platelet fraction that remains with the bacteria in the plasma phase.
I expect to find bacteria or fungi after centrifugation of blood in the buffy-coat, i. the thin layer between the plasma and the red cells, which usually contains the white cells and thrombocytes.
I agree with Dr. Evers the buffy coat is the best part for check it out.
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