A urine culture is a lab test to check for any bacteria present in the urine sample.
It can be used to check for a urinary tract infection in adults and children. Bacteria, which typically cause Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs), can enter the urinary tract through the urethra. In the sterile environment of your urinary tract, these bacteria can grow rapidly and develop into an infection.
It is indicated to locate and identify the microorganisms that cause the infection. UTIs are more common in females than males. This is because a woman’s urethra is shorter and much closer to the anus. This makes it much easier for bacteria from the intestines to find their way into the urinal tract. Bacteria ascend the urethra into the bladder, kidney, and ureters, where they can develop into an infection.
Is there really a need to culture the urine first before taking any antibiotics?
Antibiotic therapy may be prescribed without requiring a urine culture for symptomatic (people who are having symptoms of UTI) patients.. If there is suspicion of a complicated infection or symptoms do not respond to initial therapy, then a culture of the urine is recommended. Pregnant women without any symptoms may be screened for bacteria in their urine, which could affect the health and development of the fetus.
For this, you collect your urine in a cup as you urinate. Before you begin this process, a healthcare provider will ask you to wash your hands and then wash your genitalia several times with a cleanser. Once this step has been completed, you will begin urinating into a sterile cup provided by your doctor. The cup is then given to your healthcare provider, who sends it to a lab for analysis.
What does urine culture test result mean?
Results of a urine culture are often interpreted in conjunction with the results of a urinalysis and with regard to how the sample was collected and whether symptoms are present. Since some urine samples have the potential to be contaminated with normal flora from the skin, care must be taken with interpreting some culture results.
Typically, the presence of a single type of bacteria growing at high colony counts is considered a positive urine culture.
For clean catch samples that have been properly collected, cultures with greater than 100,000 colony forming units (CFU)/mL of one type of bacteria usually indicate infection.
A culture that is reported as “no growth in 24 or 48 hours” usually indicates that there is no infection. But, if the symptoms persist, a urine culture may be repeated on another sample to look for the presence of bacteria at lower colony counts or other microorganisms that may cause these symptoms.
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