The collection of blood, using sterile equipment and technique, into a suitable culture medium, usually a broth, and its incubation prior to an appropriate bacteriological examination. Because the bacteremia in many cases is intermittent it is necessary to take a number of samples at intervals of several hours.

Saunders Comprehensive Veterinary Dictionary 3rd Edition. Copyright © 2007 by D.C. Blood, V.P. Studdert and C.C. Gay, Elsevier. All rights reserved.