Urine Culture

The most important point is to ensure the sample is not contaminated with bacteria from the outside (skin or vaginal area). After cleaning the genital area, the first portion of the urine should be passed into the toilet, and the "midstream" portion of the urine should be collected into the sterile urine container without touching the edges.

Unless your doctor specifies otherwise, antibiotics should not be taken before providing a culture. This is because antibiotics that enter the blood pass into the urine and kill or suppress the bacteria in the urine, causing the culture to incorrectly show "no growth."

While a simple urinalysis yields results within hours, it takes 48 to 72 hours for a urine culture result to be available, as it is necessary to wait for the bacteria to grow in the laboratory.