Spiral-shaped bacteremia: Difference in the duration of blood cultures between Helicobacter spp. and Campylobacter spp. using the BACTEC system

• Published in: Journal of microbiological methods Vol. 182; p. 106158
• Main Authors: Itoh, Kazuhiro, Iwasaki, Hiromichi, Shigemi, Hiroko, Tsutani, Hiroshi, Yamauchi, Takahiro
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier B.V 01-03-2021
• Subjects: Bacteremia; Blood culture; Campylobacter; Helicobacter cinaedi; Blood culture; Helicobacter cinaedi; Bacteremia; Campylobacter
• ISSN: 0167-7012; 1872-8359
• DOI: 10.1016/j.mimet.2021.106158

Although spiral bacteria are uncommon, they cause bacteremia. We evaluated their characteristics, in particular, the time from the start of blood culture to the first report of a positive result to physicians, using the BACTEC blood culture system. In cases of spiral bacteremia, an extended treatment period should be considered.
•Spiral bacteria, such as Helicobacter and Campylobacter spp., grow slowly.•They cause rare bloodstream infections that require long-term treatment.•The time to positive culture is longer for Helicobacter than Campylobacter spp.•In cases of spiral bacteremia, an extended treatment period should be considered.