[Blood culture: efficacy of the specimens for the analysis of bacteremia and sepsis].

The indication for examination of blood cultures is discussed. The evaluation of clinical information with respect to the underlying diseases demonstrated that in most cases a microbiological etiology was suspected. Mostly we obtained diagnosis like chill, septic shock or suspicion of nosocomial infection. In most cases the infection origin was related to the gastrointestinal tract or the genitourinary tract. The examination of different specimens yielded the blood culture bottle as the best medium for diagnosis of septicemia. The laboratory diagnostic procedure is briefly presented. The rate of positive results, the contamination rate and the interpretation are discussed.