Comparison of the T2Dx instrument with T2Candida assay and automated blood culture in the detection of Candida species using seeded blood samples

As a delay in the diagnosis and treatment of candidemia is associated with increased mortality and healthcare costs, a more rapid method of detection is urgently needed. The T2Candida assay is a new rapid diagnostic test, which uses T2 magnetic resonance technology to identify Candida spp. directly from whole blood in approximately 3 hours. In this study, the performance of the BACTEC 9050 using Aerobic Plus/F blood culture bottles was compared to that of the T2Candida assay run on the T2Dx Instrument for detection of Candida albicans, Candida tropicalis, Candida parapsilosis, Candida glabrata, and Candida krusei, in seeded blood samples at concentrations between 3.1 and 11 CFU/mL. The BACTEC 9050 detected Candida growth in 100% of bottles (n = 20 replicates) within 5 days for all species (63.23 ± 30.27 hours), with the exception of Candida glabrata (0%). The T2Candida assay had a 100% detection rate for each species (n = 13–20 replicates) within 3 hours including C. glabrata. The sensitivity and specificity of the T2Candida assay were 1 and 0.978, respectively.