Comparative efficiency of clot and broth culture techniques for the isolation of Salmonella Enterica serover typhi from blood

Abstract

A total of 89 S. typhi have been isolated from 1200 blood samples (patients positive for the Widal test) indicating an isolation rate of 7.41%. Of the 89 blood culture positive isolates, only 38 isolates have been obtained through broth cultures, indicating 42% sensitivity of the technique, while the remaining 51(58%) isolates have been obtained by clot culture technique from the samples which were negative by broth cultures. Thus isolation rate by clot culture is significantly higher than that of the broth culture technique.The data indicate that the use of clot culture offers more isolation rate than the conventional broth culture method and the incubation time required for clot culture is also very short. Hence clot culture is more sensitive and recommended for the routine isolation of S. typhi from the blood samples of the suspected patients.