Urine Culture

What is a Urine Culture Test?

A urine culture test is a medical test or laboratory procedure designed to detect the presence of microorganisms such as bacteria and yeast in a urine sample. The difference between a urine culture and urinalysis is that the latter is conducted as an initial screening test to identify red and white blood cells as well as the presence of bacteria. However, unlike the urine culture test, it cannot specify the type of bacteria responsible for the UTI the patient may have. 

As mentioned, the primary purpose of the urine culture test is to diagnose urinary tract infections (UTIs). More specifically, the test will help identify the yeast or bacteria causing the infection so practitioners can select the appropriate and effective treatment option. 

There are different procedures for a urine culture test, but they mainly vary in collecting the urine sample. A sample may be collected via the most common clean-catch method, a urinary collection bag, or a catheter. Afterwards, a growth-promoting substance will be introduced to the urine sample to allow the microorganisms in the urine to multiply; their presence is the main indicator of an infection within the urinary system.

How does it work?

Step One. Procure a Copy of the Template

To access and download a digital and printable urine culture test template copy when needed, do either of the steps below:

• Click the “Download Template” or “Use Template” button
• Searching “Urine Culture Test” on Carepatron’s template library’s search bar on the app or website

Step Two. Create the Request

Determine if your patient needs a urine culture test or a urinalysis by interviewing, assessing, or physically examining your patient. If you think they’ll benefit from the test, use our template as a request form and fill out the first half of the template.

Step Three. Present the Form

Depending on the patient’s condition, they, you, or a fellow practitioner caring for the same patient may present the form to the phlebotomist or qualified healthcare provider responsible for collecting and/or processing the urine sample. The document will serve as proof that the test was requested.

Step Four. Analyze and Interpret

Once the sample has been processed and the results have returned, you analyze and interpret the results. Feel free to use the end of the template as a place to write notes like your observations and findings.

Step Five. Store the Template Securely

After using the template, don’t forget to store the completed template securely. If you decide to use the digital version of the template, we recommend you store your copy on Carepatron, a HIPAA-compliant software that can guarantee the security of your patient’s records.

When would you use this test?

Healthcare providers like general physicians or specialists like urologists and obstetricians can request and use this test for the following purposes:

Standard Practice

Pregnant women may be asked to undergo a urine culture test during the first trimester of pregnancy to detect and address any possible UTIs that may pose risks during one’s pregnancy.

Investigate and Diagnose

If the patient is exhibiting symptoms of a urinary tract infection like painful urination, abdominal pain without a cause/reason, or often feels the urge to urinate but is unable to empty their bladder, the practitioner may ask them to undergo the test to confirm a UTI diagnosis.

Alternatively, if the patient underwent a urinalysis first and their results showed a high white blood cell count, the practitioner may ask them to undergo a urine culture test to identify the specific microorganism causing the infection.

Target, Monitor, and Manage

For patients who have a history of getting UTIs frequently or have experienced UTIs that are difficult to treat, the referring physician may request a urine culture test to understand the microorganism causing the frequency or severity of the UTI and its pattern of antibiotic resistance.

Also, a urine culture test may be requested to check if the treatment has removed all of the bacteria that caused the infection and ensure no resistant or left-over bacteria can cause the patient to have another UTI.

What do the results mean?

The results of a urine culture test can freely provide essential information about the presence of yeast or bacteria in the urine sample, which aids the referring physician’s treatment decisions. Though it’s recommended that a referring physician analyze and interpret considering the context of the patient, if you need a general overview of the result interpretations, keep reading below.

Positive Urine Culture

If a patient has a positive urine culture test, it means there’s a significant growth of bacteria in the urine at a notable number of colony-forming units (CFUs). If the sample was obtained via a clean-catch method, any amount higher than 100,000 CFUs/mL indicates UTI. 

Meanwhile, if the sample was collected using invasive methods such as a cystoscopy if their levels are between 1,000 to 100,000 CFUs/mL, it may also suggest a UTI. 

You may confirm the UTI diagnosis if the patient has a positive urine culture and exhibits UTI symptoms. 

Negative Urine Culture

If a patient has a negative urine culture, it means that there aren’t any signs of bacteria or yeast growth in the urine sample indicative of the absence of a UTI. Do note that if the patient has recently taken antibiotics, it may suppress a UTI-causing organism’s growth, leading to a false-negative.

Research & Evidence

There’s been extensive research and analysis done on urine culture tests hence the existence of studies and articles that have contributed to healthcare practitioners’ understanding of the tests’ utility and effectiveness. Here’s a quick overview of some of the articles and studies that highlight the significance of the tests:

• According to a study entitled “A New Gold Rush: A Review of Current and Developing Diagnostic Tools for Urinary Tract Infections,” even with the emergence of new UTI diagnostic techniques like PCR, expanded quantitative urine culture (EQUC), and next-generation sequencing (NGS), the urine culture remains as “the gold standard of UTI diagnosis” because it offers the most reliable data one can use for a treatment plan within a reasonable time frame. 
• Meanwhile, a journal article entitled “Laboratory Diagnosis of Urinary Tract Infections in Adult Patients” emphasized that urine culture tests are necessary for “outpatients who have recurrent UTIs, experience treatment failures, have complicated UTIs, and in patients who develop UTIs.” 
• Finally, according to another journal article, urine culture results are “useful in predicting the identity and susceptibility of a current positive urine culture.

These three sources are only a few of the many studies and articles that support the continued use of urine culture tests for diagnosis, monitoring, and even assessing the risk or predicting how susceptible a patient is to being infected with another UTI. Hence, a urine culture test is indeed a valuable tool that can and must be used for its designated purpose in the medical field.

References

MacFadden, D. R., Ridgway, J. P., Robicsek, A., Elligsen, M., & Daneman, N. (2014). Predictive utility of prior positive urine cultures. Clinical Infectious Diseases, 59(9), 1265–1271. https://doi.org/10.1093/cid/ciu588

Wilson, M. L., & Gaido, L. (2004). Laboratory diagnosis of urinary tract infections in adult patients. Clinical Infectious Diseases, 38(8), 1150–1158. https://doi.org/10.1086/383029

Xu, R., Deebel, N. A., Casals, R., Dutta, R., & Mirzazadeh, M. (2021). A new gold rush: A review of current and developing diagnostic tools for urinary tract infections. Diagnostics, 11(3), 479. https://doi.org/10.3390/diagnostics11030479