Guidelines
Rapid Blood Culture Identification (BCID)

Rapid Blood Culture Identification (BCID)

General Principles

The Microbiology Lab at AHT offers two methods for rapid blood culture identification via genotypic analysis using the Cepheid Xpert S. aureus polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay and GenMark ePlex PCR panel

Rapid Diagnostic Tests BCID should be evaluated and acted upon rapidly or the beneficial impact of such tests will be lost; expect a phone call from our Antimicrobial Stewardship Program for over BCID results on sub-optimal therapy

Results are generally available within 6 hours and can be used to rapidly optimize antimicrobial therapy

  • Will undergo additional testing with the Cepheid assay if GPC in clusters are noted and, if the result is negative for S. aureus, then undergo additional testing through the GenMark ePlex panel
  • All other organisms identified will undergo testing via GenMark ePlex alone
  • In Vitro studies performed by Cepheid® produced sensitivities of 97-99.4% and specificities of 100%
  • In Vitro studies performed by GenMark Diagnostics® produced sensitivities of >97% for bacterial pathogens, 93% for fungal pathogens and specificities of 100%

Antibiotic Selection Guide