Comparison of the different pleural fluid inoculum volumes in culture-positive patients
| Volume of inoculum | Aerobic blood culture bottles n=11, number positive (%) | Anaerobic blood culture bottles n=20, number positive (%) |
| 2 ml | 8 (73) | 18 (90) |
| 5 ml | 8 (73) | 16 (80) |
| 10 ml | 8 (73) | 15 (75) |
Some organisms were cultured in two or three different volume bottles, hence totals are greater than the number of cases.