Question

When a urine sample reaches the laboratory, what is the first technique used to determine if a urinary tract infection exists?

Answer 1

A test called urine culture would be the most ideal test to check the existence of urinary tract infection (UTI).

Basically, urine culture is widely used test designed to find out the bacteria in the urine that would cause UTI.

Remember, urine in a bladder are free from any microbes i.e. urine in bladder is considered as sterile. However, some times bacteria may enters in urethra and may cause the UTI.

Urine culture is basically a technique in which the infection causing bacteria are allowed to grow in laboratory condition. While performing urine culture, a fraction of an appropriately diluted urine sample from the person suspected for UTI infection is added to the growth medium that promotes the growth of UTI causing bacteria.

If no growth is observed on the medium, the urine culture will referred as negative or sterile. If bacterial growth observed, the urine culture will referred as non-sterile or positive.

Further, the specific types of bacteria may be determined by microscopy or chemical tests.