Very Common
Less Common
Related Observations
Your vet might choose this diagnostic test if you were making these observations.
Diagnostic
Tests or procedures used by your vet to determine what is wrong with your horse, in order to reach a diagnosis.
Cost: $100 to $500
These cost ranges are approximate and may vary from region to region.
Additional charges may also apply.
YOUR VET MAY PERFORM
Blood Culture
Cost: $100 to $500
These cost ranges are approximate and may vary from region to region.
Additional charges may also apply.
Summary
Bacteria in the bloodstream is a very uncommon finding in adult horses, but quite common in foals.
Blood culture is sampling of the blood, placement of it in bacterial media that favors ongoing bacterial survival and growth and then culture in a lab.
A positive blood culture indicates that bacteria are in fact within the blood (or the sample has been contaminated). A negative culture is not a guarantee that the blood is free of bacteria. In neonatal intensive care facilities up to 20% of foals admitted have a positive blood culture. Once growth of bacteria is confirmed, antibiotic sensitivity is determined, which can guide therapy.
Blood culture is sampling of the blood, placement of it in bacterial media that favors ongoing bacterial survival and growth and then culture in a lab.
A positive blood culture indicates that bacteria are in fact within the blood (or the sample has been contaminated). A negative culture is not a guarantee that the blood is free of bacteria. In neonatal intensive care facilities up to 20% of foals admitted have a positive blood culture. Once growth of bacteria is confirmed, antibiotic sensitivity is determined, which can guide therapy.
Why A Vet Chooses This Diagnostic
Related Diagnostics
Other diagnostic tests that might be used in combination or with this one or instead of this one.
Diagnoses Your Vet May Consider
This test could rule out or confirm any of the following diagnoses.
BENEFITS
The only way of positively determining the presence of bacteria in blood, determining the species of bacteria, and determining what antibiotics will kill it. LIMITATIONS
Growth of bacteria and determination of sensitivity can take up to 48 hours. Treatment must be started before results are returned. If the patient is treated with antibiotics prior to blood sampling, there is a greatly reduced likelihood of growth of bacteria in the sample. Even when conditions are good, bacteria sometimes do not grow. Some species of bacteria are fastidious and hard to grow. In other cases, bacteria are only present in the blood intermittently. Timing of sampling may not be right.
your role
Questions To Ask Your Vet:
- What is the likelihood that this bacterial isolate is real, versus a contaminant?