Diagnosis of common urinary tract infections, called UTIs, requires a urine culture test. UTIs are common bacterial infections but require medical intervention to prevent complications from a prolonged infection.
Urine cultures can aid in diagnosing the pathogen causing an infection, and can indicate antibiotics to which this bacteria is sensitive. Your healthcare provider can recommend this test if you experience pain or a burning sensation when urinating. You may also need a urine culture upon completing treatment for a UTI to ensure the bacteria has cleared.
You can get a urine culture and microscopy test at GP London at £74. This test has a turnaround time of 1 – 2 days.
During a urine culture, the lab technician will allow the urine to sit for hours to allow the bacteria to grow. The medical professional will examine the urine under a microscope for bacterial growth. You will need treatment if you have a positive result, this can be as simple as a prescription for a course of antibiotics.
Urine culture is a lab test that detects bacteria, yeast and other microorganisms in a urine sample. A urine culture may detect the microorganism responsible for the infection.
Routine urine cultures can detect pathogens in your urine. Following the urine sample collection, the lab technician will keep the sample under special conditions to allow the microorganism in the urine to multiply. If there isn’t an infection, only a small number of microorganisms will grow.
The normal range of bacteria in urine is about 10,000 colonies/ml. If the bacteria count is higher than 100,000 colonies/ml, a UTI may be present. The urine culture will be indeterminate if the bacteria count is within 10,000 – 100,000.
If you experience symptoms of a UTI and need urine microscopy and culture, visit GP London today. You can also call us on 020 7043 4317 to book an appointment for your urine culture or other medical tests.
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