Question 1

how long does it normally take to get blood culture results back?

Accepted Answer

1-5 days: It can be as soon as one day but labs will usually incubate and monitor the cultures for up to 5 days to make sure nothing is growing.

Question 2

what exactly is a csf culture & what is its purpose? is it difficult to perform and does it take longer than blood cultures for a result to come back?

Accepted Answer

Spinal tap: CSF is cerebrospinal fluid which is obtained through a lumbar puncture or spinal tap. It would be sent for culture to check for bacterial vs. viral or aseptic meningitis. Depending on the organism  being cultured for it can take a few days to weeks for a result

Question 3

how long does it take to get blood culture results?

Accepted Answer

Depends: Routine blood cultures are usually read at 24 and 48 hours and then again at 7 days and 14 days depending upon the organisms that are growing.  Newer "blood culture" results using a variety of methods including dna testing or radioactive metabolite detection can often be read much sooner- in hours.

Question 4

how many days does it take to get blood culture results of a breast abscess?

Accepted Answer

2 days: With current photometric monitoring of blood cultures, most real positive cultures are identified by 24 hours of incubation, and virtually all by 48 hours. Blood cultures positive after 48 hours of incubation must be viewed a possible contaminants if drawn from a venipuncture (but not from a central line).

Question 5

i understand it can take a few days for the results of blood cultures to be known generally, is it any quicker to get the results of urine cultures?

Accepted Answer

Not really: Most "Cultures" will take at least 48-72 hours as the lab needs to let the bacteria "grow out over time, and see what occurs".  Some will add sensitivity testing as well to see if the bacteria is susceptible to certain antibiotics.  Best wishes.

Question 6

does it normally take 3 days for blood cultures to come back?

Accepted Answer

It can: Most labs will hold and incubate blood cultures for a full week.  Results can come back in a little as a day or two or can take a week.

Question 7

how fast can infection show up in a blood culture? (i was called back in about 12 hrs to come back in due to positive result)

Accepted Answer

Under 12h, obviously: Obviously it can show up in under 12 hours; they wouldn&#x27;t have called you back if the test were not definitely positive. The fast result could suggest a particularly dangerous infection:   virulent bacteria often are detected rapidly, and it also may mean large numbers of bacteria in the blood. This could be very serious; get back to the doctor IMMEDIATELY. Good luck!

Question 8

does it normally take 5 days for blood cultures to be returned?

Accepted Answer

Depends on the: Growth rate and type of organism. Usual bacterial infections of the blood become positive in a couple of days, or sooner. However, the labs hold the blood cultures that do not show growth, for about five days to make sure that slow growing organisms are not missed.

Question 9

can you think of any reason why blood cultures would come back with negative results within 2 hours even though antibiotics not commenced until hours after the results have come back.

Accepted Answer

Yes: IT HAPPENS ALL THE TIME!
Since many infectious agents circulate in the blood at certain INTERVALS between which no organism can be detected!
That is why MULTIPLE Blood Cultures are taken instead  of ONE SAMPLE!
Hope this helps!
Dr Z

Question 10

blood culture and how long till results?

Accepted Answer

2-3 days: Usually bacterial blood cultures take 2 days to grow and the results should be out by 3 days. If they are looking for fungus or viruses on the culture then it could take longer depending on th institution and if the test is being sent to another facility.

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Doctor answers about:

How long does it normally take to get blood culture results back

A member asked:

How long does it normally take to get blood culture results back?

A member asked:

What exactly is a csf culture & what is its purpose? is it difficult to perform and does it take longer than blood cultures for a result to come back?

A member asked:

How long does it take to get blood culture results?

A member asked:

How many days does it take to get blood culture results of a breast abscess?

A member asked:

I understand it can take a few days for the results of blood cultures to be known generally, is it any quicker to get the results of urine cultures?

A member asked:

Does it normally take 3 days for blood cultures to come back?

A member asked:

How fast can infection show up in a blood culture? (i was called back in about 12 hrs to come back in due to positive result)

A member asked:

Does it normally take 5 days for blood cultures to be returned?

A member asked:

Can you think of any reason why blood cultures would come back with negative results within 2 hours even though antibiotics not commenced until hours after the results have come back.

A member asked:

Blood culture and how long till results?

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