Rapid Identification of Bacterial Pathogens in Positive Blood Culture Bottles by Use of a Broad-Based PCR Assay Coupled with High-Resolution Melt Analysis

We evaluated a broad-based PCR assay coupled with high-resolution melt analysis for rapid bacterial identification in patients with bacterial sepsis. With a reference library of 60 clinically relevant bacterial species, 52 positive blood culture samples were tested. Our assay identified 46/52 samples at the species level, with 100% concordance to culture findings.