{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,20]],"date-time":"2026-10-20T23:08:55Z","timestamp":1792537735976,"version":"4.5.0"},"reference-count":12,"publisher":"Springer Science and Business Media LLC","issue":"2","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,3,3]],"date-time":"2025-03-03T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1740960000000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0"},{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,3,3]],"date-time":"2025-03-03T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1740960000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100006389","name":"University of Geneva","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100006389","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"crossref"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["link.springer.com"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Infection"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2025,4]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title>\n          <jats:sec>\n            <jats:title>Purpose<\/jats:title>\n            <jats:p>Blood culture contamination (BCC) is mainly caused by commensal bacteria, during sample collection. It results in unnecessary antibiotic exposure, prolonged hospitalisation, additional microbiology workup and significant adverse health-economic burden. We aimed to investigate the short- and long-term impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the incidence of BCC.<\/jats:p>\n          <\/jats:sec>\n          <jats:sec>\n            <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n            <jats:p>We conducted a retrospective, observational cohort study at Geneva University Hospitals (HUG). We included all BCCs from January 2018 to December 2023, collected as part of a prospective hospital-wide surveillance by the infection control team. Data were analyzed using segmented Poisson regression models to evaluate BCC incidence rate ratios (IRRs) across three periods: pre-COVID-19 (2018\u20132019), during COVID-19 (2020\u20132021), and post-COVID-19 peak (2022\u20132023).<\/jats:p>\n          <\/jats:sec>\n          <jats:sec>\n            <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n            <jats:p>Out of 456,873 collected blood cultures, 1,247 BCCs were identified (0.27%). The contamination rate per 1000 samples increased from 1.53 pre-COVID-19 to 2.94 during COVID-19 and 3.52 post-COVID-19. Compared to the pre-COVID-period, incidence rate ratios (IRRs) for BCC increased during COVID-19 (IRR 1.84, 95% CI 1.58\u20132.15) and post-COVID-19 peak (IRR 2.29, 95% CI 1.97\u20132.66). During COVID-19, proportions of BCC were increased in intensive care units (27.4%, <jats:italic>n<\/jats:italic>\u2009=\u2009127) and returned to baseline level post-COVID-19 (17.3%, <jats:italic>n<\/jats:italic>\u2009=\u200993, <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\u2009&lt;\u20090.001); whereas, in other wards, BCC remained elevated (42.2%, <jats:italic>n<\/jats:italic>\u2009=\u2009227) in the post-COVID-19 period.<\/jats:p>\n          <\/jats:sec>\n          <jats:sec>\n            <jats:title>Conclusions<\/jats:title>\n            <jats:p>We observed a significant rise in BCC incidence during and after the COVID-19 peak. The persistently elevated post-peak rates highlight ongoing challenges in regaining optimal aseptic blood culture collection practices and the need for further exploration of persisting factors increasing BCC rates.<\/jats:p>\n          <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1007\/s15010-024-02469-6","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,3,3]],"date-time":"2025-03-03T08:49:57Z","timestamp":1740991797000},"page":"711-716","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/springer_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":7,"title":["Increased incidence of blood culture contaminations during and after the COVID-19 pandemic"],"prefix":"10.1007","volume":"53","author":[{"given":"Hannah","family":"Tolle","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Aude","family":"Nguyen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Aleece","family":"MacPhail","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Nasreen","family":"Hassoun-Kheir","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Marie-Noelle","family":"Chraiti","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Filippo","family":"Boroli","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Marie-C\u00e9line","family":"Zanella","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Stephan","family":"Harbarth","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Gaud","family":"Catho","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Niccol\u00f2","family":"Buetti","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"297","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,3,3]]},"reference":[{"key":"2469_CR1","unstructured":"Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Blood Culture Contamination: an overview for Infection Control and Antibiotic Stewardship Programs Working with the Clinical Laboratory. 2023. https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/antibiotic-use\/core-elements\/pdfs\/fs-bloodculture-508.pdf"},{"issue":"1","key":"2469_CR2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e29766","DOI":"10.5812\/jjm.29766","volume":"9","author":"M Altindis","year":"2016","unstructured":"Altindis M, Koroglu M, Demiray T, Dal T, Ozdemir M, Sengil AZ, et al. A Multicenter evaluation of Blood Culture practices, Contamination Rates, and the distribution of causative Bacteria. Jundishapur J Microbiol. 2016;9(1):e29766. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.5812\/jjm.29766.","journal-title":"Jundishapur J Microbiol"},{"issue":"9","key":"2469_CR3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"964","DOI":"10.1016\/j.cmi.2018.03.030","volume":"24","author":"S Dargere","year":"2018","unstructured":"Dargere S, Cormier H, Verdon R. Contaminants in blood cultures: importance, implications, interpretation and prevention. Clin Microbiol Infect. 2018;24(9):964\u20139. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.cmi.2018.03.030.","journal-title":"Clin Microbiol Infect"},{"key":"2469_CR4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","unstructured":"Doern GV, Carroll KC, Diekema DJ, Garey KW, Rupp ME, Weinstein MP, et al. Practical Guidance for Clinical Microbiology Laboratories: a Comprehensive Update on the Problem of Blood Culture Contamination and a discussion of methods for addressing the Problem. Clin Microbiol Rev. 2019;33(1). https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1128\/CMR.00009-19.","DOI":"10.1128\/CMR.00009-19"},{"issue":"8","key":"2469_CR5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"963","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ajic.2018.12.020","volume":"47","author":"C Dempsey","year":"2019","unstructured":"Dempsey C, Skoglund E, Muldrew KL, Garey KW. Economic health care costs of blood culture contamination: a systematic review. Am J Infect Control. 2019;47(8):963\u20137. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.ajic.2018.12.020.","journal-title":"Am J Infect Control"},{"issue":"1","key":"2469_CR6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"116002","DOI":"10.1016\/j.diagmicrobio.2023.116002","volume":"107","author":"E Farfour","year":"2023","unstructured":"Farfour E, Clichet V, Pean de Ponfilly G, Carbonnelle E, Vasse M. Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on blood culture practices and bacteremia epidemiology. Diagn Microbiol Infect Dis. 2023;107(1):116002. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.diagmicrobio.2023.116002.","journal-title":"Diagn Microbiol Infect Dis"},{"key":"2469_CR7","volume-title":"Surveillance of healthcare-associated infections and prevention indicators in European intensive care units","author":"European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control","year":"2017","unstructured":"European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. Surveillance of healthcare-associated infections and prevention indicators in European intensive care units. Stockholm, Sweden: ECDC; 2017."},{"key":"2469_CR8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","unstructured":"Andrei AI, Popescu GA, Popoiu MA, Mihai A, Talapan D. Changes in use of blood cultures in a COVID-19-Dedicated Tertiary Hospital. Antibiot (Basel). 2022;11(12). https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/antibiotics11121694.","DOI":"10.3390\/antibiotics11121694"},{"issue":"3","key":"2469_CR9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"100219","DOI":"10.1016\/j.infpip.2022.100219","volume":"4","author":"B Sacchetti","year":"2022","unstructured":"Sacchetti B, Travis J, Steed LL, Webb G. Identification of the main contributors to blood culture contamination at a tertiary care academic medical center. Infect Prev Pract. 2022;4(3):100219. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.infpip.2022.100219.","journal-title":"Infect Prev Pract"},{"issue":"2","key":"2469_CR10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"176","DOI":"10.1001\/jamapediatrics.2020.5052","volume":"175","author":"LC Bailey","year":"2021","unstructured":"Bailey LC, Razzaghi H, Burrows EK, Bunnell HT, Camacho PEF, Christakis DA, et al. Assessment of 135 794 Pediatric patients tested for severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 across the United States. JAMA Pediatr. 2021;175(2):176\u201384. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1001\/jamapediatrics.2020.5052.","journal-title":"JAMA Pediatr"},{"issue":"1","key":"2469_CR11","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"448","DOI":"10.1186\/s12879-023-08428-0","volume":"23","author":"BM Aiesh","year":"2023","unstructured":"Aiesh BM, Daraghmeh D, Abu-Shamleh N, Joudallah A, Sabateen A, Al Ramahi R. Blood culture contamination in a tertiary care hospital: a retrospective three-year study. BMC Infect Dis. 2023;23(1):448. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1186\/s12879-023-08428-0.","journal-title":"BMC Infect Dis"},{"issue":"15\u201316","key":"2469_CR12","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"5076","DOI":"10.1111\/jocn.16761","volume":"32","author":"A Nantsupawat","year":"2023","unstructured":"Nantsupawat A, Wichaikhum O-A, Abhicharttibutra K, Sadarangani T, Poghosyan L. The relationship between nurse burnout, missed nursing care, and care quality following COVID-19 pandemic. J Clin Nurs. 2023;32(15\u201316):5076\u201383. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1111\/jocn.16761.","journal-title":"J Clin Nurs"}],"container-title":["Infection"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/link.springer.com\/content\/pdf\/10.1007\/s15010-024-02469-6.pdf","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/link.springer.com\/article\/10.1007\/s15010-024-02469-6\/fulltext.html","content-type":"text\/html","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/link.springer.com\/content\/pdf\/10.1007\/s15010-024-02469-6.pdf","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,4,5]],"date-time":"2025-04-05T17:17:21Z","timestamp":1743873441000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/link.springer.com\/10.1007\/s15010-024-02469-6"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2025,3,3]]},"references-count":12,"journal-issue":{"issue":"2","published-print":{"date-parts":[[2025,4]]}},"alternative-id":["2469"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/s15010-024-02469-6","relation":{},"ISSN":["0300-8126","1439-0973"],"issn-type":[{"value":"0300-8126","type":"print"},{"value":"1439-0973","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2025,3,3]]},"assertion":[{"value":"11 October 2024","order":1,"name":"received","label":"Received","group":{"name":"ArticleHistory","label":"Article History"}},{"value":"30 December 2024","order":2,"name":"accepted","label":"Accepted","group":{"name":"ArticleHistory","label":"Article History"}},{"value":"3 March 2025","order":3,"name":"first_online","label":"First Online","group":{"name":"ArticleHistory","label":"Article History"}},{"order":1,"name":"Ethics","group":{"name":"EthicsHeading","label":"Declarations"}},{"value":"Analysis was performed on anonymized non-genetic surveillance data. Ethical consent was not required according to the Swiss law for human research (Article 33, Paragraph 2, Human Research Act)","order":2,"name":"Ethics","group":{"name":"EthicsHeading","label":"Ethics approval, consent to participate and consent to publish"}},{"value":"The authors declare no competing interests. A.N. has received salary support from the European Union\u2019s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement N\u00b0 965265 (REVERSE). A.M. is supported by an Australian National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Postgraduate Scholarship (GNT2022415).","order":3,"name":"Ethics","group":{"name":"EthicsHeading","label":"Competing interests"}}]}}