US Medical Term · tests
Blood Culture
Hemocultivo
Also: Cultivo de sangre (regional variant)
In 9 languages
| Language | Term |
|---|---|
| English | Blood Culture |
| Spanish (Español) | Hemocultivo |
| Chinese (中文) | 血液培養 |
| Korean (한국어) | 혈액 배양 검사 |
| Vietnamese (Tiếng Việt) | Cấy máu |
| Filipino (Tagalog) | Blood Culture |
| Portuguese (Português) | Hemocultura |
| Thai (ภาษาไทย) | การเพาะเชื้อในเลือด |
| Japanese (日本語) | 血液培養検査 |
What it means
A blood culture is a test that detects bacteria, fungi, or other organisms in your bloodstream — a condition called bacteremia or sepsis when the infection is serious. A nurse draws blood from a vein in your arm under very clean conditions and injects it into special bottles that encourage any organisms to grow. The laboratory monitors the bottles for up to five days. If organisms grow, lab scientists identify them and test which antibiotics kill them. This test is often ordered in hospital emergency or urgent-care settings when a patient has high fever, chills, low blood pressure, or other signs of a serious systemic infection.
How to say it
Sentences a patient might use with a doctor, nurse, pharmacist, or insurer:
Why does the nurse need to take blood for a blood culture instead of just a regular blood test?
¿Por qué la enfermera necesita tomar sangre para un hemocultivo en lugar de un análisis regular?
How long do I have to wait to find out if my blood culture is positive?
¿Cuánto tiempo tengo que esperar para saber si mi hemocultivo es positivo?
My blood culture came back positive for bacteria — does that mean I have sepsis?
Mi hemocultivo salió positivo para bacteria — ¿eso significa que tengo sepsis?
Where you'll see it
Related terms
Sources
Last reviewed: September 2026