Urine Culture

Doctors recommend a urine culture test for the following reasons:

• To identify the cause of a UTI
• Sensitivity testing or to determine the best medicine for the treatment of UTI
• To check if the treatment provided for the UTI worked

This test is also recommended when an individual has symptoms of bladder infection or UTI such as burning or painful sensation while urinating. (Read more: Painful urination causes)

No special preparations are required for this test. Individuals should inform the healthcare provider about any antibiotics taken recently. The individual is advised not to urinate for at least 1 hour before giving the urine sample. Individuals will be asked to have a glass of water about 20 minutes before collecting the urine sample for the test to get the right amount of urine volume.

(Consult physician online)

Individuals will be asked to collect a midstream urine sample. Typically, the first urine of the day should be collected as it has the best amount of bacterial levels. The following steps should be taken while collecting the urine sample:

• Women should clean their genital area and men should wipe the tip of their penis before collecting the urine sample to avoid contaminating the sample with bacteria from the surrounding skin
• The genitals should be cleaned from front to back in women
• The first few drops of urine should not be taken
• About 60 ml of urine should be collected in the given sterile container
• The container should be sealed with a cap and sent to the laboratory

For people with urine catheters, a trained healthcare professional collects the urine sample by inserting a thin, flexible catheter or tube in the urethra. If the urine sample cannot be sent to the laboratory within an hour, the sample should be placed in a refrigerator.

There is a small risk of perforation of the bladder or urethra if a catheter is used to collect the urine sample.

It takes 1 to 3 days for the results of the urine culture test to arrive. However, it may take longer as certain microorganisms take longer to grow.

Normal results:

A normal urine culture test indicates that the person has no infection. The normal values of the test vary among different laboratories.

Abnormal results:

Abnormal urine culture or a positive urine culture denotes the presence of yeast or bacteria in the culture, which might indicate the possibility of a bladder infection or urinary tract infection. The following results are obtained in a positive urine culture test:

• Less than 100 bacteria/mL: Indicates the absence of infection or the individual may be taking an antibiotic
• 100 to 100,000 bacteria/mL: This indicates contamination of the urine sample or infection (the urine culture may need to be repeated)
• 100,000 bacteria/mL: Indicates an infection

A sensitivity test may be ordered if a positive result is obtained on the urine culture test.

Disclaimer: All results must be clinically correlated with the patient’s complaints to make a complete and accurate diagnosis. This is information purely from the educational point of view and is in no way a substitute for medical advice by a qualified doctor.