Multi-institutional retrospective study investigating blood culture protocols and test positivity in 701 dogs

Andrzej J Ogrodny; Rinosh Mani; Sarah M Schmid; Emily N Gould; Claire L Fellman; Ian DeStefano; Sarah Shropshire; Jillian M Haines; Timothy A Bolton; Sara A Jablonski; Nicole Jess; Harry Cridge

doi:10.3389/fvets.2023.1301018

Multi-institutional retrospective study investigating blood culture protocols and test positivity in 701 dogs

Front Vet Sci. 2023 Dec 11:10:1301018. doi: 10.3389/fvets.2023.1301018. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, United States.
² Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, College of Veterinary Medicine, Michigan State University, Lansing, MI, United States.
³ Department of Medical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States.
⁴ Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, United States.
⁵ Gastrointestinal Laboratory, Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States.
⁶ Department of Clinical Sciences, Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, Tufts University, North Grafton, MA, United States.
⁷ Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, United States.
⁸ Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, United States.
⁹ Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, United States.
¹⁰ Center for Statistical Training and Consulting, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, United States.

Abstract

Objectives: (i) To determine the influence of specimen collection protocol (timing and specimen quantity), primary disease process, and pre-existing antimicrobial or immunosuppressive therapy on blood culture (BC) positivity and (ii) To determine agreement between urine culture and BC results.

Animals: 701 client-owned dogs.

Methods: Multi-institutional retrospective study (2019-2022). Mixed-effect logistic regression was used to determine whether primary disease process, the number of BCs, or the timing of specimen collection was associated with BC positivity. Prediction plots were generated. Associations between urine culture and BC results were performed using logistic regression.

Results: Dogs with a positive urine culture were more likely to have a positive BC (OR: 4.36, 95% CI: 2.12-8.97, p = 0.003). Dogs that had three BC specimens had the greatest odds of obtaining a positive BC result (adjusted predictive value: 0.44, 95% CI: 0.21-0.70), although this was not significant. Isolates from 38.5% of dogs with a positive BC had resistance to ≥3 antimicrobial classes. The timing between specimen collection had no significant association with BC positivity. Pre-existing antibiotic or immunosuppressive therapy had no significant association with BC positivity.

Clinical relevance: Dogs with a positive urine culture were more likely to have a positive BC result.

Keywords: MIC; bacteria; fungi; septicemia; susceptibility.

Grants and funding

The author(s) declare financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. The open access fee this manuscript was provided by endowments established under the Peter J. and Freda M. Babich fund.