How to Read a Urine Culture Lab Report

Most people will have already given a urine sample at some betoken in their lives. A sample can be analyzed using a number of different tests. These tests can help doctors diagnose certain diseases or to monitor their progress. For case, urine test strips can evidence whether you may take a urinary tract infection or diabetes.

Hither we describe the diverse urine tests, what they tin can be used for, and what the results tell us.

What do the characteristics of urine tell u.s.?

The elimination of urine is very of import for different bodily functions. Information technology regulates the rest of water in the body, for case, and also gets rid of substances that are produced during metabolic processes and are no longer needed by the trunk. These include toxic substances in food or medicines. Urine tests can aid detect diseases of the urinary system too equally metabolic diseases similar diabetes or liver disease.

The color, odor and amount of urine can already point whether something is wrong. If, for example, someone passes simply a little very night urine, information technology could be a sign that they have non had enough to drink – or that their kidneys are no longer working properly. Cloudy or flaky urine could exist a sign of a urinary tract infection. If the urine is reddish in color, there might be claret in it. To find out more than, the urine needs to exist tested using a test strip or in a lab.

5 standard urine tests can be used to examine the different components of urine. Two of them can also be washed at home, whereas the other three can only be washed in a lab.

How practice you give a urine sample?

Urine tin easily be contaminated past bacteria, cells and other substances and so information technology is a good idea to cleanse the genital surface area with water – but not soap – earlier giving a sample. To become an accurate issue and avert bacterial contamination, "clean" midstream urine is used. You take a sample of midstream urine by interrupting the menses of urine subsequently a few seconds and so collecting this centre portion of the urine in a cup. Your doctor will let you know if there is anything else you lot should pay attention to for your specific test.

Rapid urine test

What is a rapid urine exam?

A rapid urine test is the quickest mode to test urine. This involves dipping a exam strip with small square colored fields on information technology into the urine sample for a few seconds. After that you lot have to look a little for the event to appear. Depending on the concentration of the detail substance you are testing for, the fields on the test strip modify colour. So the resulting colors of the fields are compared with a color table. The color table can be found on the urine test packet. Information technology shows which colors bespeak normal and abnormal values.

In a rapid urine test, a examination strip is dipped into the urine and then compared with the colored fields on the packaging.

Rapid urine tests are ordinarily done as office of routine examinations – for case at a family doctor's office, during antenatal visits, when being admitted to the hospital, or before surgery. They are too used in people who have acute symptoms like lower intestinal hurting, tummy ache or back pain, frequent painful urination, or blood in their urine. Some people who take diabetes apply this examination to check their sugar levels.

Rapid urine tests can be washed at doctor's offices, in hospital, or at dwelling house. The examination strips are bachelor without a prescription at the chemist's or on the internet. But they are non intended for cocky-diagnosis purposes, and should be used in consultation with a doctor.

What substances can a rapid urine test detect?

Many substances are usually found only in sure amounts in urine, so higher or lower levels signal a deviation from the norm.

The following substances can be checked using a rapid urine exam:

• pH value (measure of the acidity of the urine. Normal values, depending on diet, range from about five to 7, where values under 5 are too acidic, and values over 7 are not acidic enough)

• Protein (not usually found in urine)

• Carbohydrate (glucose, not usually found in urine)

• Nitrite (non usually found in urine)

• Ketone (a metabolic product, not usually found in urine)

• Bilirubin (breakdown product of hemoglobin, not commonly found in urine)

• Urobilinogen (breakdown product of bilirubin, not commonly found in urine)

• Red blood cells (erythrocytes, non unremarkably found in urine)

• White blood cells (leukocytes, not usually found in urine)

What practise the results tell us?

You can determine whether the results are within the normal range by using the package insert or the colour chart on the package. The pH value, for example, can be used to find out whether there is an increased risk of developing urinary stones. This is the case if the pH is also acidic (if the value is below 5). A pH value over vii may be a sign of a bacterial urinary tract infection. Tests measuring other things can help detect other problems:

• Loftier protein levels may be a sign of nephritis (a kidney inflammation).

• Ketones and saccharide in urine are signs of high blood sugar.

• Leukocytes or nitrite may exist a sign of a bacterial infection.

If the test results are abnormal, you need to come across a medico. Every bit with all tests, the results of rapid urine tests are non always reliable. For this reason, it might be a good idea to have a more detailed test done in a lab.

Urinalysis

What is urinalysis?

Urinalysis is an initial basic test of the master features of the claret. It is often part of a routine test and is oftentimes performed when people are admitted to hospital and before surgery. It can also be used to bank check aberrant results from a rapid urine test. Complete urinalysis is done in a laboratory. It usually involves three steps:

1. Assessment of the color, cloudiness and concentration of the urine

2. Exam of the chemical composition of the urine using a test strip

3. Exam of the urine nether a microscope to look for bacteria, cells and parts of cells

Using a microscope to examine the solid parts of urine: the moving picture shows red blood cells (above), white blood cells (middle) and a bandage of clumped-together white claret cells (below).

Urinalysis is used to find the cause of – or monitor – urinary tract infections, bleeding in the urinary organization, or kidney or liver disease. It tin as well exist used for diabetes, some diseases of the blood, and bladder stones.

What does urinalysis test for?

In addition to the substances that can exist detected using a rapid examination, urinalysis tin can besides exam for the following:

• Creatinine (breakdown product of muscle metabolism, an indicator of kidney role)

• Bacteria (not usually found in urine)

• Urinary casts (cylindrical stuck-together structures that form in the renal tubules, not usually found in urine)

• Crystals (found if at that place are high concentrations of certain substances in the urine, non ordinarily institute in urine)

• Epithelial cells (cells that line the ureter, bladder and urethra)

What do the results tell us?

With the help of these values, laboratories tin can as well use urinalysis to detect signs of other problems:

• Cholesterol crystals can be caused past high levels of cholesterol in the urine, for case.

• Urinary casts are usually a sign of kidney disease, such equally an inflammation of the renal pelvis.

Abnormal results can be discussed with a doctor and may be followed by more than precise tests, such as a claret exam.

Urine civilisation

What is a urine culture?

A urine culture is a test done in a laboratory to see whether urine has germs in it. A sample of midstream urine is put into a container. Then modest plates with a growth medium that the germs can grow on are put into the sample and the container is closed tightly. The urine civilisation is then placed in an incubator for one to two days. If there are bacteria or fungi in the urine, visible colonies can grow.

Round petri dish with leaner or fungi taken from urine. These become visible later on ii to four days in an incubator.

What tin can urine cultures exam for?

Urine cultures can be washed to test whether there are leaner or fungi in urine. If this is the case, y'all tin can ofttimes already see what type of bacteria or fungi they are, based on the size, course and colour of the colonies.

What do the results tell us?

Urine cultures are usually done to notice bacteria and fungi in urine when testing for a urinary tract infection. If bacteria are institute during laboratory testing, and so the type of antibody needed is commonly determined at the same fourth dimension.

24-hr urine collection

What is 24-60 minutes urine drove?

This exam involves collecting urine over a period of 24 hours: The kickoff urine sample afterward waking upwards is not used, but the time of urination is noted. From then on, for the side by side 24 hours every single drop of urine is collected in a container. Once the 24 hours are up, you empty your bladder ane last time and the urine is added to the sample already collected. Your md will give y'all the container for the urine sample. The container usually already has a substance in it to prevent bacteria from growing while the urine is still being collected. The urine should be kept in a refrigerator for the entire 24-hour menses. Information technology is then tested in a laboratory.

What can exist tested with a 24-hour urine sample?

24-60 minutes urine samples can exist used to find out what amounts of sure substances (such every bit proteins, hormones, salts and metabolic products) are excreted from the body.

What do the results tell us?

The exam results tin can tell u.s., for example, how much protein and creatinine are in the urine. If too little of the metabolic product creatinine is existence filtered out of the blood by the kidneys, the kidneys may not exist working properly. Loftier levels of protein in urine, known equally proteinuria, can be caused by weather such equally heart failure, diabetes, inflammation of the renal pelvis, urinary tract infections, kidney affliction or kidney cancer.

Some disorders of the endocrine (hormonal) organisation increase the amount of hormones and their metabolic products in the urine. In social club to find those disorders, urine is often collected over a 24-60 minutes menstruum on several days then tested.

Pregnancy tests

What is a pregnancy test?

If your menstrual menstruation is late, at that place are different tests available to find out whether y'all are pregnant. But they are non admittedly reliable. Most tests can already determine whether a woman is significant 8 to x days after her period was due. They are usually washed like rapid urine tests, using a urine sample in the morning time after getting upwards. You tin can find exact instructions in the packet insert. Pregnancy tests can exist bought in pharmacies, drugstores, section stores and on the internet.

What can be checked with a pregnancy test?

The urine of pregnant women contains a special hormone known as human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), which is produced in the placenta.

What practice the results tell us?

Many women who would like to find out whether they are pregnant will first do a pregnancy test. The results might be faux if a woman does the test too before long, is taking medicine or drinks a lot of fluids before doing the test. Simply a physician can say for sure whether you are pregnant or non.

Other urine tests

Drugs can also be detected in urine for a while subsequently being used. Depending on the type of test, cannabis tin can exist detected upwards to several weeks after being consumed. Drugs like cocaine, ecstasy or heroin tin can show up in test results for up to five days. Various types of tests can exist used hither also: Rapid tests help requite constabulary fast results on site, while other drug tests need to exist sent to a laboratory. Urine samples can also be used to test athletes for banned functioning-enhancing substances (doping).

Sources

• Andreae South, Avelini P, Berg Thou, Blank I, Burk A. Lexikon der Krankheiten und Untersuchungen. Stuttgart: Thieme; 2008.

• Pschyrembel. Klinisches Wörterbuch. Berlin: De Gruyter; 2017.

• Thomas L. Labor und Diagnose. Indikation und Bewertung von Laborbefunden für die medizinische Diagnostik. Marburg: Medizinische Verlagsgesellschaft; 2007.

• IQWiG health information is written with the aim of helping people sympathize the advantages and disadvantages of the principal treatment options and health care services.

  Considering IQWiG is a German constitute, some of the data provided here is specific to the German health care system. The suitability of any of the described options in an individual case tin be determined by talking to a doctor. We do not offer private consultations.

  Our information is based on the results of good-quality studies. It is written by a team of wellness care professionals, scientists and editors, and reviewed by external experts. You tin can find a detailed clarification of how our health information is produced and updated in our methods.

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Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK279350/

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