The Culture, Blood with Reflex Molecular Identification test detects bacteria in a whole-blood sample to help diagnose bacteremia. In this test, samples from patients suspected of sepsis are collected in aerobic and anaerobic blood culture bottles, and a standard blood culture is performed. If a blood culture result is positive, a Gram stain is performed to determine if the organism is gram negative or gram positive.
Based on the Gram stain result, either the gram-negative or gram-positive blood culture identification (BCID) panel will be performed using media from the positive blood culture bottle. These panels are qualitative, multiplexed molecular assays that use microarray technology to simultaneously detect and identify either gram-negative or gram-positive organisms and selected antimicrobial (AMR) resistance genes. The results of the blood culture and (if performed) Gram stain, BCID, conventional identification, and susceptibility testing are reported.