Comparative evaluation of supplemented peptone broth with sodium polyanetholesulfonate and trypticase soy broth with sodium amylosulfate for detection of septicemia.

We compared the yield and speed of detection of clinically important microorganisms from 10,156 paired 5-ml samples of blood cultured in supplemented peptone broth (SPB) with 0.03% sodium polyanetholesulfonate (SPS) or Trypticase soy broth (TSB) with 0.5% sodium amylosulfate (SAS). The atmosphere of incubation (open venting units) and ratio of blood to broth (1:10) were the same for both samples. Only cultures with adequate blood samples (greater than or equal to 80% of stated volume) were compared statistically. Overall, SPB/SPS outperformed TSB/SAS. Bacteroidaceae and Eubacterium were found more often (P less than 0.05) and viridans streptococci were found sooner (P less than 10(-4)) in SPB/SPS than in TSB/SAS. Most importantly, staphylococci were found both more often (P less than 0.03) and sooner (P less than 10(-7)) in SPB/SPS than in TSB/SAS. In a separate experiment, SAS slowed the growth of a clinical strain of Staphylococcus aureus in TSB. Unless important advantages can be confirmed for SAS in controlled clinical trials, SAS cannot be recommended for routine use as an anticoagulant in blood culture media.