Is it possible to perform bacterial identification and antimicrobial susceptibility testing with a positive blood culture bottle for quick diagnosis of bloodstream infections?

Introduction: Bloodstream infections can be fatal, and timely identification of the etiologic agent is important for treatment.

Methodology: An alternative method, consisting of direct identification and susceptibility testing of blood culture bottles using the automated VITEK 2® system, was assessed.

Results: All 37 of the Gram-negative bacilli (GNB) identifications and 57.