Table 1. Performance of blood culture PCR assay and automated blood culture in participants diagnosed with paratyphoid fever (n = 17).
| Category | Blood culture PCR assay | Automated blood culture | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Positive | negative | Positive | Negative | |
| Automated blood culture positive (12cases) | 9/12 | 3/12 | ||
| Automated blood culture negative (5 cases) | 1/5 | 4/5 | ||
| Blood culture PCR assay positive (10 cases) | 9/10 | 1/10 | ||
| Blood culture PCR assay negative (7 cases) | 3/7 | 4/7 | ||
| Bacterial burden ≥0.3 CFU/ml blood (10 cases) | 9/10 | 1/10 | 9/10 | 1/10 |
| Bacterial burden ≤0.2 CFU/ml blood (7 cases) | 1/7 | 6/7 | 3/7 | 4/7 |
| Time taken from blood collection to identification of causative bacteria | <9 hours | >36 hours* | ||
*Including median time to culture positivity 26.5 (18.5–44.7) hours and bacterial identification 18–24 hours.