Blood Culture, Routine
A blood culture, routine is used to isolate and identify potentially pathogenic organisms causing bacteria and to establish the diagnosis of endocarditis.
Description
A blood culture is a test that checks for infection in the blood and then to identify the cause. Foreign invaders like bacteria, yeast, and other microorganisms in your blood. Having bacteria, yeast, and other microorganisms in your bloodstream can be a sign of a blood infection. An infection can spread to your blood and become systemic if it’s severe or if your immune system isn’t able to keep it contained. A systemic infection is known as sepsis.
Symptoms of a blood infection:
- chills, fever
- rapid breathing and heart rate
- excessive fatigue
- muscle aches
- headache
- less frequent urination
The following conditions or situations put you more at risk of developing a blood infection:
- You’ve recently had an infection
- You’ve recently had a surgical procedure
- You’ve had a prosthetic heart valve replacement
- You’re undergoing immunosuppressive therapy
- diabetes
- HIV or AIDS
- cancer
- an autoimmune disease
A blood culture can also be used to detect conditions such as endocarditis, is a potentially life-threatening condition that occurs when bacteria in your bloodstream sticks to your heart valves.
