Projected improvement in the fast microbiological analysis of neonatal blood samples

PurposeTo investigate whether Portable Microbe Enrichment Unit (PMEU) Scentrion® (Finnoflag Oy, Kuopio and Siilinjärvi, Finland) can provide a faster, more effective and accurate way of diagnosing sepsis and identifying pathogenic bacteria compared to the standard method in Kuopio University Hospital.Design and samplesBlood samples from 56 diseased neonates were collected and enriched by the PMEU Scentrion® and standard method. After enrichment all detected bacteria were cultured by Eastern Finland Laboratory Centre Joint Authority Enterprise (ISLAB).Main outcome and resultsResults were similar for both methods. Bacterial growth was indicated in 37 samples. Bacterial blood culture was positive in only six blood samples. 26 patients had a clinical diagnosis of sepsis. 20 patients were treated empirically because the bacterium could not be identified.ConclusionsPMEU Scentrion® proved out to be capable of providing early signs of bacterial growth in blood samples with increased efficiency. Development of the PMEU software and use of more specific culture broth could offer means for increased speed, specificity and sensitivity for the analysis of neonatal sepsis. These further improvements could provide tools for verifying more sepsis causing pathogens by rapid methodology.