How do you read a urine culture report?

What does the test result mean?

  1. Positive urine culture: Typically, the presence of a single type of bacteria growing at high colony counts is considered a positive urine culture.
  2. Negative urine culture: A culture that is reported as “no growth in 24 or 48 hours” usually indicates that there is no infection.

What does sensitive means in urine culture report?

The lab conducts an antibiotic sensitivity test on the bacteria in the cultured sample. Also called an antibiotic susceptibility test, this test identifies the type of bacteria causing the infection and which antibiotics the bacteria is sensitive to, meaning which antibiotics will kill the bacteria.

How do you know if urine culture is positive?

For a urine culture, the urine is given several days to allow the bacteria, if present, to grow. The sample is then examined under a microscope. If your urine shows signs of bacteria or other organisms, you will receive a positive result. If few bacteria or organisms appear, you will receive a negative test result.

What if urine culture is negative?

If your urine culture shows you don’t have a UTI, you’ll need further testing to find out the cause of your symptoms.” In rare cases, a person with symptoms similar to a UTI, but with repeated negative cultures (meaning they don’t show a bacterial infection) may in fact have bladder cancer.

What is MIC in culture and sensitivity?

The MIC, or minimum inhibitory concentration, is the lowest concentration (in μg/mL) of an antibiotic that inhibits the growth of a given strain of bacteria.

How many pus cells are normal in urine?

The normal range of pus cells in urine is 0-5/hpf , however up to 10 pus cells may be present without any definite infection. If you have any symptoms of a urine infection, you should get a urine culture done.