We describe the reliability of the VITEK-2 Compact and overnight MicroScan panels for direct identification and susceptibility testing from the BacT/ALERT blood culture system when using FAN (FA and FN) bottles. A simple procedure, in two centrifugation steps, was designed to remove the charcoal particles present in FA and FN bottles. A total of 113 positive blood cultures showing Gram-negative rods were investigated. Enterobacteriaceae were isolated in 104 cases, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa in nine. The MicroScan system correctly identified 106 (93.8%) of the 113 isolates. The seven identificaction errors included P. aeruginosa (three), Enterobacter cloacae (one), Escherichia coli (one), Klebsiella oxytoca (one), and Klebsiella pneumoniae (one). The VITEK-2 system correctly identified 109 (96.5%) of the 113 samples obtained directly from the blood culture bottles. The four unidentified isolates were Enterobacter cloacae (two), Escherichia coli (one), and P. aeruginosa (one). MicroScan yielded 4/779 (0.5%) very major errors and 28/2825 (0.9%) minor errors. VITEK-2 yielded 2/550 (0.36%) very major errors, 1/1718 (0.05%) major error, and 32/2373 (1.3%) minor errors. Both systems provided excellent identification (correlation of >90%) and susceptibility (correlation of >98%) results. The average times required to obtain identification and susceptibility results using the direct test applied to the VITEK-2 Compact system were 4.57 +/- 1.37 h and 6.52 +/- 1.64 h, respectively. The VITEK-2 compact system provided results on the same day that the blood culture was found to be positive.