Urine Culture
Abbrev Code: | URCX | ||
Order Code: | LAB239 | Order Name: | Urine Culture |
Synonyms: | URC | ||
CPT Codes: | 87086 x1, 87088 x1, 87186 x8 | ||
Test Includes: | Culture of aerobic flora for 1,000 to >100,000 organisms/mL and susceptibility testing. Gram stain if requested. | ||
Turnaround Time: | Performed daily; results are reported within 2 days. | ||
Special Instructions: | Specimens must be delivered to the laboratory within 30 minutes of collection if not refrigerated or collected in vacutainer urine C&S transport kit. |
Collection Instructions
Specimen: | Urine |
Optimal Volume: | 5-10 mL |
Minimum\Peds Volume: | 0.2 mL (4.0 mL if using vacutainer C&S) |
Container: | Urine culture tubes |
Collection Instructions: | Obtain first morning specimen for best results (overnight incubation in bladder yields highest bacterial counts). Refrigerate specimen if not delivered to laboratory within 30 minutes.
Female
Male
Infants and Small Children:
Catheter Collection - Clean catheter with alcohol sponge; puncture with sterile needle and collect urine in sterile syringe. (Note: This technique is unsatisfactory for certain silicone catheters which may then leak.) Straight Catheter - To obtain urine directly from bladder, trained care worker should use asceptic technique to insert catheter. Discard initial 10-30 mL; collect next flowof urine in sterile container and remove catheter. Suprapubic Tap - Expose area above pubis. Scrub area with povidone-iodine. Cover area with povidone-iodone solution and allow to dry. Using sterile syringe and needle, aspirate urine from bladder and inject into a sterile container. If anaerobic culture is desired, expel air bubble and inject sample into anaerobic vial. |
Contraindications: | Do not culture urine collected from bed pan, urinal, or container brought from patient's home. |
Processing and Shipping
Specimen Processing: | Urine: Specimens must be transferred into preservative or refrigerated within 2 hours of collection. Store in refrigerator. Specimen must arrive refrigerated within 24 hours.
Vacutainer: Store at room temperature. Must arrive within 48 hours. |
Shipping Instructions: | Ship at refrigerated temperature. Must arrive within 24 hours.
Vacutainer: Ship at room temperature. Must arrive within 48 hours. |
Test Performed at or Referral Lab | Infectious Diseases Diagnostic Laboratory (Grand Itasca, Range, UMMC East Bank) |
Interpretive
Reference Range: | No growth; normal urogenital flora. |
Use: | Isolate and identify potentially pathogenic organisms causing urinary tract infection. |
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