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A rapid method for the detection of Escherichia coli in blood has been developed. The method employs blood cell lysis, staining of bacteria with ethidium bromide, and detection of stained bacteria using flow cytometry. The detection protocol requires less than 2 h sample handling time and is not dependent on bacterial growth. This method has been applied to human donor blood specimens seeded with various E. coli concentrations and to two rabbit model systems. Bacterial detection is evident from the in vitro human blood studies at levels of 10 E. coli/ml and from in vivo rabbit model studies at less than 100 E. coli/ml.

Maximum CO2 levels in the Gono-Pak system were obtained 2 h after activation, with a mean value of 1.5%. Although this is less than the 2 to 3% CO2 level obtained with the candle jar, Gono-Pak produced comparable recovery of Neisseria gonorrhoeae in 357 clinical specimens and stock cultures. Using adjustable CO2 incubators, we found the recovery at 1% CO2 to be comparable to that at 5%, whereas 10% CO2 was inhibitory.

A latex agglutination (LA) test (Slidex Rota-Kit; bioMérieux, Marcy-l'Etoile, France) was a rapid, easily used method for detecting rotavirus (RV) in pediatric fecal specimens. With 45 RV-positive and 50 RV-negative diarrhea specimens, the sensitivity of the LA test was 82%, and the specificity was 100%. Six other specimens produced indeterminate results. The frequency of positive LA tests appeared to be proportional to the concentration of virions in the stool.