What is Culture-Urine?
The urine culture test is a method of processing a sample of urine in a laboratory in order to identify bacteria, fungi, or other pathogens in the urine. It is employed in the diagnosis of urinary tract infections (UTIs) which are infections of the urinary system including the kidneys, bladder, ureters, and urethra. It helps in identifying the cause of infection and the best antibiotic or treatment to use for the infection.
Cultures are very useful in the diagnosis of infections that may not be clinically obvious or may have mild symptoms. They can also be done to check on the progression of an infection or to ensure that an infection is completely cleared up following antibiotic therapy.
How is the Test Performed?
The urine culture test is a straightforward test involving the collection of urine sample in the morning as the urine is more concentrated at that time.
Preparation
- Do not urinate for at least 1 hour before the test.
- Wash hands with soapy water before collecting the sample.
- Clean your genital area thoroughly before the sample collection.
Collection
- The urine is collected mid-stream i.e. collecting after peeing a little to ensure that the bacteria from the skin do not come with the sample.
Lab Analysis
- The sample is then sent to the laboratory for culturing in the petri dish containing a nutrient medium.
- The dish is incubated at optimal temperature for maximum growth.
What are the symptoms that prompt this test?
Doctors recommend this test when individuals show signs and symptoms of liver or kidney dysfunction, chronic inflammatory conditions, or malnutrition. Below some of the symptoms of abnormal Culture-Urine levels are mentioned that prompt this test:
General Symptoms
- Fever
- Chills
- Backache
- Pain during intercourse
- Unexplained vaginal bleeding
- Bloody urine
- Blood in semen
- Difficulty urinating
- Frequent and painful urination
- Changes in the urine volume
- Foamy or cloudy urine with bad a odor
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Difficulty starting the urine stream
What are Normal Ranges for This Test?
The urine culture test results are reported as positive or negative. The generally accepted result is mentioned below;
Positive – Presence of microbes- more than 100,000 CFU/mL
Negative – Absence of microbes
**The range of the bacterial presence may vary depending on the assay of the test and the individual health factors.**
What Happens if Test Results Show Abnormal Levels?
If the urine culture test comes out to be abnormal, it suggests the presence of an infection and the person might have the following conditions;
- Urinary tract infection
- Pyelonephritis
- Cystitis
- Prostatitis
- Asymptomatic bacteriuria
Treatment includes the antibiotic therapy, keeping yourself hydrated, follow-up urine culture test to monitor the infection severity, if the infection is recurrent additional testing of urinary system or genetic system are suggested.
