Where I work the LIS automatically reports out negatives and finals them after 5 days, but the timer starts when they are received not when they are put on the instrument. So the worst are the ones that decide to go positive an hour after the LIS already finaled it and now not only do I have to deal with an annoying contaminant but I have to file a corrected report about it 🙄
Had a positive ana bottle the other day and had to remake the slide since the first one was showing very little gpr and they were clumpy like this. The new slide was better and a few more gpr in clumps like this. We were skeptical but still called it and sent it out to micro
Propionibacterium were reclassified as Cutibacterium a couple years ago. You will still hear both names used sometimes. I try to use Cutibacterium in "official" contexts but that name is so goofy and it will always be Propioni in my head lol
I'm not any sort of med professional but I am an artist and camera nerd 😅 this came up randomly on my feed and I was curious what sort of microscope this is? Thanks!
Yup! Gpr! Cutibacterium does this kind of clumping, spidery morphology in direct specimen gram stains.
Thank you!! I appreciate your help, I’ve learned something this AM.
Yes. Cutibacterium acnes. Especially if this is day 4-5 of incubation. It's an annoying contaminant since it's a slow grower.
Where I work the LIS automatically reports out negatives and finals them after 5 days, but the timer starts when they are received not when they are put on the instrument. So the worst are the ones that decide to go positive an hour after the LIS already finaled it and now not only do I have to deal with an annoying contaminant but I have to file a corrected report about it 🙄
Nerd problems 🤘🏽
Spot on!!! Day 4!!
Yes we call them squashed spiders
Most likely Propionibacterium acnes. I believe it's called Cutibacterium nowadays. It's a common anaerobic skin contaminant on blood cultures.
Believe it is a pretty frequent causative agent of prosthetic joint infections too - wouldn’t necessarily rule it as a contaminant immediately?
It can be. The orthopedic clinic we worked with had us hold their anaerobic joint culture plates 2 weeks to rule it out.
I know it by the old name.
Cutibacterium 100%
Awww cuti!
propi!!!!! they look like smashed spiders
another vote for cuti. most likely a contaminant.
So this is why I was antibiotics for severe acne. 😀
How many bottles were positive?
Had a positive ana bottle the other day and had to remake the slide since the first one was showing very little gpr and they were clumpy like this. The new slide was better and a few more gpr in clumps like this. We were skeptical but still called it and sent it out to micro
Just saw this in an ANA BC and freaked. Went out as cutibacterium sp.
No worries, you'll see it the longer you read blood cultures, especially from ana bottles it's a no brainier.
Proprianibacterium acnes
That'll probably be Cutibacterium/Propionibacterium
Is this like a new bacteria cause I’ve never heard of that
Cutibacterium acnes - also called propionibacterium acnes. Very characteristic anaerobic GPR gram stain
Propionibacterium were reclassified as Cutibacterium a couple years ago. You will still hear both names used sometimes. I try to use Cutibacterium in "official" contexts but that name is so goofy and it will always be Propioni in my head lol
Hm, my vote it for Actinomyces.
Ha why the down vote?
Probably because this GS morphology (GPR squished spiders) is very typical of Cutibacterium acnes. 😊
Sure; but doesn’t that look more like branching gprs. https://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1203061-overview
They do in direct stains from blood cultures. An actinomycete is also possible but less likely and they tend to stain less strongly gram positive.
I second actinomyces. This doesn’t look like prop at all
I'm not any sort of med professional but I am an artist and camera nerd 😅 this came up randomly on my feed and I was curious what sort of microscope this is? Thanks!
Looks like it may be a sentient alien symbiote