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CSF Culture

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CSF Culture, Cerebrospinal Fluid Culture

  • Preparations
  • Culture Mediums for CSF
  1. Sheep blood agar (5%) or Chocolate agar
    1. Standard CSF Bacterial culture
  2. Viral culture
    1. Enterovirus Test Sensitivity: 40-80%
    2. HSV Test Sensitivity: 80-90% (in 5-7 days)
  3. Fungal Culture
    1. Cryptococcus Test Sensitivity: 95%
    2. Candida Test Sensitivity: 66%
  4. Tuberculosis Cultures
    1. Requires large CSF volume (15-50 cc/culture)
    2. Test Sensitivity for one culture: 56%
    3. Test Sensitivity for four cultures: 83%
  • References
  1. Kooiker in Roberts (1998) Procedures in ER, p. 1067-75
  2. Ravel (1995) Lab Medicine, Mosby, p. 294-9
  3. Tunkel in Mandell (2000) Infectious Disease, p. 974-8
  4. Seehusen (2003) Am Fam Physician 68:1103-8 [PubMed]