Rapid Detection of Candidemia

Abstract
The Sterifil lysis-filtration (SLF) blood culture technic was compared with a standard trypticase soy broth (TSB) procedure for the detection of candidemia. Of a total of 3,554 blood cultures run in parallel, 29 Candida isolates were obtained with the SLF technic, whereas only 17 were recovered with the TSB method, a statistically significant difference (p < 0.005). All fungi isolated with the TSB method were also isolated with the SLF method. Also of significance is that detectable growth appeared in 1 to 2 days in the SLF method, as compared with several weeks to 1 month with the TSB procedure. The lysing solutions employed in the SLF procedure, Triton X-100 (alkyl phenoxy polyethoxy ethanol) and sodium carbonate, did not adversely affect the viability of frequently encountered human yeast pathogens.