Sometimes your doctor asks you to perform a urine culture to help in an accurate diagnosis of your disease. In this article, we will learn about its importance, its work steps, and the symbols of the report received at the end of the examination.

What is a urine culture?

It is a test conducted on a urine sample to search for the presence of germs or bacteria that are the main cause of urinary tract infection and are called urine culture.

The importance of urine culture work

When you feel some symptoms and go to the doctor, and before he writes a prescription for you, he asks you to do a urine culture first.

1. Knowing the presence of germs in urine or not, because this means that germs are present in the urinary tract and kidneys.
2. Knowing the type of germs or bacteria and determining the appropriate medicine.

Who is most likely to have a urine culture?

Urinary tract infection is more common in women because they have a fairly open genital tract, and very close to the anus, so it facilitates the transmission of bacteria in the intestines to the urethra and from there to the bladder, ureters and kidneys, and therefore they are more likely to undergo this analysis.

What are the symptoms of a urinary tract infection?

Symptoms of a urinary tract infection vary according to the severity of the disease, and the most common symptoms are:

• Pain while urinating
• Pain in the lower abdomen and back
• The urge to urinate frequently
• High body temperature
• In more serious cases, more severe symptoms such as vomiting and chills appear

Does urine culture analysis require fasting?

The patient does not need to fast before preparing the urine sample, but the doctor should be informed if he is taking any antibiotics, vitamins or nutritional supplements, because they may interfere with the result of the analysis.

How do you get a urine sample?

To ensure that you obtain a good urine culture sample, you must follow the following steps and tips:

1. The laboratory offers you a sterile plastic cup.
2. Hands and genitals should be washed thoroughly with a detergent.
3. Do not urinate directly into the cup, but urinate into the toilet first, then into the cup until the specified mark, and then continue urinating in the toilet. This is called urinating halfway and is best for correct results.
4. Wash your hands again.

Other ways to prepare a urine sample

• Urine collection bag: especially in the case of children and infants
• Urinary catheterization: in case of obstruction of the urethra in patients with an enlarged prostate

Urine culture step by step

After you receive your urine sample in the laboratory, the urine culture steps begin, which are:

1. Drops of the urine sample are placed in a sealed sample dish
2. It is kept for a few days at a temperature similar to body temperature, which allows bacteria or germs that may be present in the sample to multiply.
3. The sample dish is examined under the microscope, and by observing the size, shape, and color of the germs, the type of germs will be accurately determined and their quantity determined.
4. Other tests are done to find out the effect of some drugs in combating these germs, and based on that, the best drug for treatment is chosen.

When will you receive the test result?

Within one to three days, you will receive from the laboratory a medical report on the germs, if any, and what are the most efficient drugs to combat them.

What are urine culture analysis codes?

Usually, normal human urine is free of germs, and therefore the result of the urine culture is negative, and if harmful bacteria are found growing clearly in the sample dish, the result of the culture is positive, and the report shows each type and the percentage of its presence, and among the most important germs that can be present in the urine are:

First: bacteria

• E-Coli: which causes about 70-95% of cases of urinary tract infection
• Enterococci (Enterococci)
• Staphylococcus (S.saprophyticus)
• Klebsiella
• Proteus
• Enterobacter

Second: fungus

And in some rare cases such as Candida or bleached fungi.

Third: parasites

such as (Trichomonas)

NB The laboratory report may include the effect of some medications and antibiotics on the germs found in the urine sample to choose the best treatment for your urinary tract infection.

Urine culture in pregnancy

During the follow-up of pregnancy, the obstetrician-gynecologist usually asks the pregnant woman for this analysis several times as a preventive measure, because urinary tract infection is a common disease during pregnancy, so it must be treated immediately, otherwise it will cause an early miscarriage.

Pediatric urine culture

It is done with the same steps, but the difference is that it is difficult to obtain a urine sample for children and infants in the traditional way, so a urine collection bag can be used instead of a plastic box, where the bag is attached to the boy’s penis or the girl’s labia. When urinating, the urine collects in the urine collection bag with ease, and the sample is sent for the laboratory.

You may be interested in: Methods of examining urine culture for children

After we know all the details about the urine culture, you must follow the instructions of the doctor and the laboratory well in order to reach more accurate results that help in the optimal choice of treatment and full recovery.