TABLE 4.
Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of different culture methods
| Culture type | Culture method | Sensitivity (%) | Specificity (%) | PPVa (%) | NPVb (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tissue | Direct aerobic | 5.1 | 98.9 | 88.2 | 38.8 |
| Direct anaerobic | 42.1 | 97.1 | 96.5 | 47.3 | |
| Thioglycolate aerobic | 66.3 | 79.1 | 84.4 | 58.1 | |
| Implant | Direct aerobic | 0 | 100 | 0 | 36.4 |
| Direct anaerobic | 37.1 | 91.3 | 86.7 | 48.8 | |
| Aerobic BCBc | 0 | 100 | 0 | 38.3 | |
| Anaerobic BCB | 13.3 | 95.2 | 80.0 | 43.5 | |
| Bone | Thioglycolate aerobic | 75.0 | 66.7 | 75.0 | 66.7 |
a
PPV, positive predictive value.
b
NPV, negative predictive value.
c
BCB, blood culture bottles.