Comparison of aerobic standard medium with specific fungal medium for detecting Fusarium spp. in blood cultures

In order to compare the performances of a specific fungal medium and a standard aerobic medium for detecting growth of Fusarium spp. in blood, simulated blood cultures were performed. For lower inocula (10(2) and 10(3) cfu/ml taken together), fungal growth was detected significantly earlier using the fungal medium. The mean difference in the time to detection between the two media was 22.33 h at 10(2) cfu/ml, with the maximum difference being achieved for Fusarium verticilloides at 37.05 h. These in vitro test results suggest fungal medium could be useful for obtaining more rapid blood culture results when evaluating patients at risk for invasive infection with Fusarium spp.