Do standard hospital blood cultures, kept for only 6 days, rule out bartonelllosis, or more precisely, bartonella bacteremia?
I only know little about bartonellosis, but according to the CDC, Trench fever can be diagnosed by isolation of Bartonella quintana from blood cultured on blood or chocolate agar under 5% CO2. Microcolonies can be seen after 1–3 weeks of incubation at 37°C.
http://www.cdc.gov/bartonella/clinicians/
Growth of bartonellae is slow, since when blood agar is used, primary isolates are typically obtained after 12 to 14 days, although prolonged incubation periods of up to 45 days are sometimes necessary.
http://jcm.asm.org/content/37/6/1899.full.pdf
The essential is said about culture; but even though some might consider the culture a very specific or even "golden standard" criterium for the disease, it´s probaly better to diagnose it by serologic criteria. In order to make the diagnosis by culture, some specific procedure may be asked to the laboratory
No lab tests fr Bartonella on a routine basis on regular cultures, since it is a rare disease and the process would mean extra costs and an inacceeptable delay on its result.
Besides, growth and recovery of these bacteria is difficult and requies special procedures from the time of collection to the cultivating procedures; that might mean a certain number of false-negatiive cases.
Have a look on some quick facts about it on the links below.
http://www.patient.co.uk/doctor/Bartonellosis.htm
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC229879/pdf/351931.pdf
http://www.aafp.org/afp/2011/0115/p152.html
http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/213169-workup
Our facility holds the blood culture bottles on the instrument for 21 days when Bartonella is suspected.
Thank you to everyone for these insights -- they are invaluable.
Best,
Lynn Shepler, MD JD, Chicago
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