Diasorin Sponsored Session: Clinical Integration of Fast Positive Blood Culture Diagnostics for Pediatric Bloodstream Infections
Description:
This session was part of Sepsis Alliance Summit 2026
Bloodstream infections (BSIs) remain a significant cause of morbidity, mortality, and healthcare utilization among infants and children worldwide. Because pediatric patients can deteriorate rapidly, timely pathogen identification is critical for guiding effective antimicrobial therapy and improving outcomes. Although blood cultures remain the diagnostic gold standard, conventional microbiologic methods often require 24 to 72 hours to provide definitive organism identification and antimicrobial susceptibility results, delaying targeted treatment decisions. Rapid diagnostic technologies that test directly from positive blood cultures can identify pathogens and key resistance markers within hours, enabling earlier optimization of antimicrobial therapy. When paired with prompt communication and antimicrobial stewardship interventions, these tools have the potential to accelerate clinical decision-making, reduce unnecessary antibiotic exposure, shorten hospital stays, decrease healthcare costs, and ultimately improve survival and recovery in pediatric patients.
Target Audience:
Nurses, advanced practice providers, physicians, emergency responders, pharmacists, medical technologists, respiratory therapists, physical/occupational therapists, infection prevention specialists, data/quality specialists, and more.
Session Supporter:
Sepsis Alliance gratefully acknowledges the support of this session provided by Diasorin.
James J. Dunn, Ph.D., D(ABMM), MT(ASCP)
Professor of Pathology & Immunology
Baylor College of Medicine
James J. Dunn, Ph.D., D(ABMM), is a nationally recognized clinical microbiologist, educator, and laboratory leader with more than 25 years of experience in infectious disease diagnostics, molecular microbiology, and pediatric laboratory medicine. He currently serves as Professor of Pathology & Immunology at Baylor College of Medicine and Medical Director of the Microbiology and Virology Laboratories at Texas Children’s Hospital, where he oversees advanced diagnostic testing and laboratory innovation. Board-certified in Medical Microbiology, Dr. Dunn has led numerous industry-sponsored clinical studies evaluating cutting-edge molecular diagnostic technologies, authored over 80 peer-reviewed publications, contributed chapters to leading microbiology and infectious disease textbooks, and serves on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Clinical Microbiology. A respected educator and mentor, he founded Baylor’s accredited Medical and Public Health Postdoctoral Microbiology Fellowship and has trained numerous clinical microbiology fellows who now hold leadership positions across the United States. His contributions to laboratory medicine, research, education, and healthcare quality have earned multiple awards, including Baylor College of Medicine’s Faculty Excellence Award and Texas Children’s Hospital’s COVID-19 Hero Award.