Work

A strategy to enhance detection of Corynebacterium in pus from human non-puerperal mastitis via pre-culture and extended incubation

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Objective Optimize detection methods for Corynebacterium in pus samples from non-lactating mastitis (NPM) to improve positive detection rates. Method A retrospective study included 216 pus samples from NPM patients (108 in the control group and 108 in the experimental group),The control group employed the conventional culture method (direct inoculation onto blood agar/McConkey agar plates, incubated at 35°C for 72 hours). The experimental group employed an improved culture method (combining pre-cultivation in blood culture bottles with extended incubation up to 7 days). The detection rates of two groups of bacilli were compared through Gram staining, mass spectrometry identification, and statistical analysis. Result The overall detection rate of Corynebacterium in the experimental group was 60.2% (65/108), significantly higher than the 36.1% (39/108) in the control group (P<0.001). The proportion of positive cases for Corynebacterium keratinolyticum increased from 43.6% in the control group to 87.7% in the experimental group (P<0.001). Conclusion The combined pre-culture and extended incubation strategy for blood culture bottles significantly improves the detection rate of bacilli by optimizing nutritional conditions and prolonging incubation time. This method is low-cost and can guide antimicrobial susceptibility testing, offering superior clinical applicability compared to molecular detection.

Source: Journal of Microbiological Methods

DOI: 10.1016/j.mimet.2025.107381