MyMedLab

No special preparation is needed. Your health care provider will provide you with collection instructions.

A urine culture may be ordered when symptoms indicate the possibility of a urinary tract infection, such as pain and burning when urinating and frequent urge to urinate. Antibiotic therapy may be prescribed without requiring a urine culture for symptomatic young women, who have an uncomplicated lower urinary tract infection. If there is suspicion of a complicated infection, or symptoms do not respond to initial therapy, then a culture of the urine is recommended. Pregnant women without any symptoms may be screened for bacteria in their urine, which could affect the health and development of the fetus.

The presence of a single type of bacteria growing at high colony counts (greater than 10,000 colony forming units (CFU)/ml) is considered a positive urine culture. A culture that is reported as no growth in 24 or 48 hours or less than 10,000 CFU/ml usually indicates that there is no infection.

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