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Urine culture is one of the basic laboratory tests used to identify the causes of undesirable urinary tract symptoms. Urine culture is helpful in making a diagnosis and initiating therapeutic therapy. How to prepare for urine culture and how to correctly interpret the results?
What is urine culture?
Urine culture is a laboratory, microbiological test that looks for the presence of microbes, including fungi and bacteria, in a patient’s urine. The test consists in transferring a sample of the patient’s urine to a special culture medium, the composition of which allows the multiplication and growth of bacteria.
The procedure is therefore used to identify the cause of urinary tract infection or inflammation. On the basis of urine culture, it is also possible to determine the susceptibility of bacteria to a specific type of antibiotic. This type of test is called an antibiogram. Thanks to the appropriate bacteriological tests of urine, the doctor can choose the drugs appropriately for a given disease.
- Disturbing symptoms may be an indication for ultrasound of the urinary system.
Urine culture – indications for the examination
We may be ordered by a primary care physician as well as a specialist doctor, e.g. a nephrologist, to perform urine culture. The indication for urine culture is suspected urinary tract infection. In the case of this suspicion, urine culture allows to confirm the presence of microorganisms in the urinary tract that may be responsible for the infection.
Urine culture is usually performed on the basis of a doctor’s referral. The test is recommended before starting antibiotic therapy. A urine sample for culture is collected in the morning and delivered to the laboratory at short notice.
Occasionally, your doctor may order a urine culture to be performed after treatment for urinary tract infections is completed. In this case, this test is to show whether the treatment method used has been successful. Patients who, during a medical visit, complain about frequent and painful urination, urgency to urinate and a feeling of incomplete emptying of the bladder for urine culture. Urine culture is a test that is also recommended for pregnant women to exclude the presence of bacteria in the urinary tract that could adversely affect the health of the developing baby. There are practically no contraindications for urine culture.
- Also check if there is a general urine test and why it is important.
Urine culture – how to prepare?
Preparation of a correct urine sample requires attention to detail. A healthy person excretes physiologically sterile urine, while the urethra and the perineum are places where microorganisms colonize. That is why proper preparation of the sample for testing is so important. First, you need to purchase a special, sterile container or a transport and growth medium at the pharmacy. Both the container and the substrate are available in virtually every pharmacy. It is important to be careful and to avoid touching the inside of the container and the lid at all times. Inattention may lead to false laboratory results.
Before taking a urine sample you should thoroughly wash your hands and the area around the urethra. Sample for cultureu it should come from the first urine you urinate in the morning after you wake up. The so-called urine should be urinated into the container. middle stream. We start urinating, and only after a while (more or less in the middle of this activity) we substitute the container and fill it to 1/3 of its volume. We pass the rest of the urine into the shells.
After filling the container with urine, it should be tightly closed. Your name, date and time of collection should be written on the container. It is worth remembering not to write this information on the cap, as it may be accidentally changed in the laboratory. A sample of the prepared urine should be delivered to the selected test point as soon as possible. If immediate sample delivery is not possible, place the urine container in the refrigerator and bring it to the laboratory within 2-3 hours. If the patient is unable to deliver urine on the day of collection, it is recommended to collect urine on a transport and growth medium.
Urine culture – interpretation of results
The urine culture result determines the presence of bacteria in urine, taking into account their number and type. The number of bacteria is converted into 1 ml of urine. A positive result is obtained when 1 ml of urine contains more than 100000 bacteria. An antibiogram is added to the result of urine culture, i.e. a list of antibiotics along with information whether the detected bacterial strain is resistant or sensitive to it. Based on your urine culture results, your doctor may initiate treatment that is appropriate for you.
The infection is indicated by the presence of over 100000 bacteria in 1 ml of urine.
There are situations when the test result is false positive. This may be due to bacterial contamination of the sample due to the patient being inattentive while filling the container with urine. On the other hand, sometimes false negative results are also observed. This type of result is indicated by the patient’s symptoms. They may be caused by microorganisms that could not be detected with the standard culture medium used during the inoculation. In such a situation, the doctor may decide to repeat the test, taking into account atypical bacteria.
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