Blood Culture Tests Market

Global Blood Culture Tests Market Size (2024 to 2029)

The global blood culture tests market size is estimated to be worth USD 76.90 billion by 2029 from USD 67.63 billion in 2024, growing at a CAGR of 2.6% during the forecast period. 

MARKET DRIVERS

The growing aging population is one of the key factors driving the growth of the blood culture tests market.

The number of people aged above 60 years is growing rapidly worldwide. According to World Health Organization (WHO), an estimated 1.4 billion people are expected to turn more than 60 years by 2030. People who are aged are more susceptible to diagnosis with various infectious diseases including pneumonia, urinary tract infections and bloodstream infections due to weakened immune systems and age-related health conditions. The aged people are more likely to admit to hospitals for treatment needs for their age-related diseases and possess a high risk of infecting with healthcare-associated infections (HAIs). Blood culture tests are used to identify the pathogens that caused the HAIs and help healthcare providers to implement targeted treatment strategies and infection control measures. Likewise, the growing aging population is expected to boost the demand levels for blood culture tests and drive market growth.

The growing incidence of sepsis is another key factor propelling the blood culture tests market growth. Sepsis is a life-threatening condition. The number of sepsis cases in the United States is growing each year significantly. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately 1.7 million U.S. adults are likely to develop sepsis. The demand for blood culture tests is driven by the increasing population suffering from sepsis as these tests are used in the diagnosis of sepsis and guide appropriate treatment.

Technological advancements in blood culture technology, the growing awareness and recognition of the importance of blood culture testing in diagnosing infections and guiding appropriate treatment strategies, rising emphasis on infection control measures, improvements in the healthcare infrastructure in emerging countries and stringent regulations and guidelines promoting the use of blood culture tests in clinical practice contribute to the growth of the blood culture tests market.

The integration of blood culture test results with electronic medical records streamlines the diagnostic process, rising focus on personalized medicine, growing global healthcare expenditure, rising demand for rapid diagnostic tests, increasing adoption of blood culture tests in research and academic settings, a growing number of clinical trials and research studies requiring blood culture testing, an increasing number of initiatives and funding by the governmental organizations for infectious disease diagnostics further fuel the growth rate of the blood culture tests market.

MARKET RESTRAINTS

High cost of blood culture tests and associated equipment, lack of reimbursement policies or inadequate reimbursement for blood culture tests, challenges related to the collection and handling of blood samples that can affect test accuracy and limited availability of skilled healthcare professionals trained in performing blood culture tests majorly hamper the growth of the blood culture tests market. The complexity and time-consuming nature of blood culture testing procedures result in delays in diagnosis, potential risk of false-positive or false-negative results that impact the reliability of blood culture tests and poor awareness among healthcare professionals about the benefits and appropriate utilization of blood culture tests further hinder the market growth.

REPORT COVERAGE

SEGMENTAL ANALYSIS

Global Blood Culture Tests Market Analysis By Product

Based on product, the consumables segment held the largest share of the global blood culture tests market in 2023 and is predicted to grow at a healthy CAGR during the forecast period. The continuous need for consumable items in performing blood culture tests, such as culture media, blood collection bottles and reagents is one the key factors driving the growth of the consumables segment. The growing prevalence of bloodstream infections and sepsis cases, higher demand for blood culture tests and consumables, an increasing number of advancements in culture media formulations and development of specialized blood culture bottles, and rising focus on reducing turnaround time and improving the accuracy of blood culture test results further contribute to the growth of the consumables segment.

The instruments segment had the second-largest share of the global market in 2023 and is expected to witness the highest CAGR during the forecast period. The growing focus of healthcare facilities and laboratories to upgrade their diagnostic capabilities with advanced automated systems and instruments for blood culture testing primarily propel the growth of the instruments segment. The growing adoption of automated blood culture systems for faster and more efficient testing, rising demand for high-throughput instruments to handle a large volume of blood culture samples and technological advancements in instrument design including improved detection systems, data management, and integration with laboratory information systems further fuel the growth rate of the instruments segment.

Global Blood Culture Tests Market Analysis By Technology     

Based on technology, the culture-based technology segment had the major share of the global market in 2023 and is expected to grow at a healthy CAGR during the forecast period. Culture-based technology has been a widely used and established method for blood culture testing. Factors such as the continued prevalence of culture-based methods as a standard practice for blood culture testing in many healthcare facilities, increasing number of advancements in culture media formulations including selective and enriched media, ongoing efforts to improve blood culture system automation and reduced time to detection drive the growth of the culture-based technology segment.

The molecular technologies segment is anticipated to grow at the fastest CAGR during the forecast period owing to the rising demand for faster and more accurate diagnosis of bloodstream infections and sepsis and an increasing number of advancements in molecular techniques, including the development of multiplex assays and syndromic panels that detect a broad range of pathogens. The rapid adoption of molecular diagnostics in clinical laboratories and hospitals and the rising emphasis on point-of-care molecular testing for blood culture identification in resource-limited settings further promote the growth rate of the molecular segment.

Global Blood Culture Tests Market Analysis By Application

Based on the application, the bacterial infections segment held the major share of the global market in 2023 and the domination of the segment is likely to continue during the forecast period. The growing incidence of bacterial infections, including healthcare-associated infections and community-acquired infections and rising awareness of the importance of early and accurate diagnosis of bacteremia to guide appropriate antibiotic therapy boosts segmental growth. The growing number of advancements in blood culture techniques and systems and increasing focus on antimicrobial stewardship programs aimed at reducing inappropriate antibiotic use further promote the growth rate of the segment.

The fungemia segment had the second-largest share of the global market in 2023 and is expected to grow at a healthy CAGR during the forecast period. Factors such as the rising prevalence of fungal infections, including Candida and other opportunistic fungi, increasing recognition of the impact of fungal bloodstream infections on patient outcomes, especially in critically ill and immunocompromised individuals, a growing number of advancements in blood culture techniques and media formulations for the detection of fungal pathogens and emerging antifungal resistance and the need for accurate species identification and susceptibility testing majorly drive the segmental growth.

Global Blood Culture Tests Market Analysis By End User

Based on end-users, the hospital laboratories segment had the leading share of the global market in 2023 and is also expected to grow at the fastest CAGR during the forecast period. Factors such as the growing incidence of healthcare-associated infections and sepsis cases, higher demand for blood culture tests in hospitals, rapid adoption of automated blood culture systems that offer faster turnaround time and improved accuracy, the availability of skilled laboratory personnel and infrastructure in hospital settings and emphasis on rapid diagnosis and timely initiation of appropriate antibiotic therapy to improve patient outcomes primarily contribute to the growth of the hospital laboratories segment.

The reference laboratories segment is expected to grow at a reasonable CAGR during the forecast period due to the rising need for accurate and reliable blood culture testing services, the rising complexity of diagnostic testing and the need for expertise in blood culture techniques and interpretation of results and growing demand for outsourced laboratory services, especially for specialized tests and difficult-to-diagnose cases. The availability of advanced laboratory equipment and technologies in reference laboratories and the expansion of reference laboratory networks further boost the growth rate of the segment.

REGIONAL ANALYSIS

Geographically, North America held the major share of the global market in 2023 and the domination of the North American region is anticipated to continue throughout the forecast period. High investments in research and development of label-free detection technologies by pharmaceutical and biotech companies and the presence of key market players and academic research institutions driving innovation and adoption of label-free detection techniques in North America primarily drive the North American blood culture tests market growth. Supportive government initiatives and funding for life sciences research and drug discovery and a strong focus on personalized medicine and biomarker research further boost the regional market growth. The U.S. had the largest share of the North American market in 2023 and is expected to witness a healthy CAGR during the forecast period.

The European market had the second-largest market share in 2023. The European market is predicted to register a healthy CAGR during the forecast period. The growing number of collaborations between academic institutions, research organizations, and industry players to advance label-free detection technologies, increasing investments in healthcare infrastructure and research facilities, favorable government policies supporting scientific research and innovation and rising demand for label-free detection in clinical diagnostics and pharmaceutical research contribute to the growth of the European blood culture tests market. The UK, Germany and Spain are estimated to control the major share of the European market during the forecast period.

The blood culture tests market in the Asia Pacific is expected to witness the highest CAGR during the forecast period. The rising emphasis on drug discovery and development in emerging economies such as China and India and the growing number of initiatives from governmental organizations to promote scientific research and development of biotechnology and pharmaceutical sectors drive market growth in the Asia-Pacific region. The rapid adoption of label-free detection technologies in academic and research institutions, expanding healthcare infrastructure and rising demand for advanced diagnostic technologies boost the APAC market growth. China, India and Japan led the market in the Asia-Pacific region in 2023.

The Latin American blood culture tests market is expected to hold a considerable share of the global market during the forecast period.

The MEA blood culture tests market had a moderate share of the global market in 2023 and is expected to grow steadily during the forecast period.

KEY MARKET PARTICIPANTS

Companies dominating the global blood culture tests market profiled in this report are Becton, Dickinson and Company, bioMérieux SA, Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., Cepheid, Inc., Nanosphere Inc., IRIDICA, Beckman Coulter, Bruker Corporation, and T2 Biosystems.

RECENT MARKET DEVELOPMENTS

• Becton, Dickinson, and Company (US) and Babson Diagnostics reached a partnership in 2020. (US). The two companies agreed to collaborate to allow for small-volume blood collection for diagnostic testing in retail locations.
• Magnolia Medical Technologies stated on March 5, 2020, that its extended line of blood contamination reduction devices, including the Steripath Gen2 Initial Specimen Diversion Device, has been cleared by US regulators. During clinical testing, the company says the gadget has shown an 88 percent reduction in blood culture contamination compared to standard procedure controls.
• In 2019, bioMérieux SA (France) and the Wellcome Trust organized VALUE-Dx, European public-private cooperation, to tackle antimicrobial resistance using diagnostics (UK).
• In 2018, BioMérieux SA (France) received FDA approval for platelet quality control testing using BPA and BPN culture bottles with BACT/ALERT VIRTUO.

DETAILED SEGMENTATION OF THE GLOBAL BLOOD CULTURE TESTS MARKET INCLUDED IN THIS REPORT

This research report on the global blood culture tests market has been segmented and sub-segmented into the following categories.

By Product

• Consumables
  • Blood Culture Media       
    • Aerobic
    • Pediatric Aerobic
    • Anaerobic
    • Mycobacterial
    • Fungi
  • Assay Kits & Reagents    
  • Blood Culture Accessories
• Instruments
  • Automated Blood Culture Systems           
  • Supporting Laboratory Equipment            
    • Incubators
    • Colony Counters
    • Microscopes
    • Gram Stainers
• Software and Services

By Technology

• Culture-Based Technology
• Molecular Technologies
  • Microarrays
  • PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction)            
  • PNA-FiSH (Peptide Nucleic Acid – Fluorescent in Situ Hybridization)
• Proteomics Technology

By Application

• Bacteremia
• Fungemia
• Mycobacterial Detection

By End User

• Hospital Laboratories
• Reference Laboratories

By Region

• North America
• Europe
• Asia Pacific
• Latin America
• The Middle East and Africa