Microbiology

The human urinary tract consists of kidneys, bladder and urethra. The urinary tract is tested by doctors and specialists to look for the causes of infection and the best future course of treatment.
A CSF culture is used by doctors and specialists to check for infections in the Cerebrospinal fluid. This test is used to identify bacteria, fungi, and other organisms that are invisible to the naked eye.
An ear swab culture is used by doctors and specialists to check for infection in the patient’s sample of fluids, pus, wax, or blood from the ear. It is usually recommended if an infection in the ear takes a lot of time to heal.
Eye swab cultures are used by doctors and specialists to check for infection in the patient’s eyes. The test could be recommended if the doctor suspects a case of Gonorrhoea, Chlamydia, or Conjunctivitis.
A Nasal Swab culture test is by doctors and specialists to diagnose respiratory infections. It could be recommended if the doctor finds a persistent cough or cold. The patient’s secretions are collected in a swab and analysed for bacteria, virus, or fungi.
If the doctor suspects that a patient’s wound has become infected, a Pus Culture test might be recommended. In this test, the patient’s pus from the wound is analysed and checked for bacteria that cause the infection.
Sputum is a fluid produced by lungs, commonly called as ‘phlegm’. The doctor might recommend a Sputum test to check for bacteria or fungi that might have affected the lungs and other respiratory functions.
A throat swab culture is a test that is recommended by doctors to detect bacterial infection in the patient’s throat. This test could be suggested by doctors in cases where there are chances of strep throat, whooping cough, meningitis, pneumonia, and tonsillitis.
A Vaginal Swab test is used by doctors to detect infections in the patient’s vaginal area. A vaginal swab similar to a cotton bud is used to take samples of vaginal secretions to be studied in laboratory conditions.
Doctors usually recommend blood cultures to help detect bacteria or fungi in the patient’s blood. Testing is done in laboratory conditions to check for bacteria/fungi that could lead to other serious conditions for the patient.
Also known as the Acid Fast Stain test, it is performed on the patient’s sample of blood, sputum/phlegm, urine, stool, bone marrow and skin tissue. This test is usually ordered when the doctors want to test for Tubercolosis.
This test is usually ordered by the doctors to check for acid fast bascilli. These are responsible for causing the patient to contract Tubercolosis.
GMS is a staining method used to screen for fungal organisms. The GMS stain method is generally used to look for a type of fungus that causes a type of pneumonia.
Fungal tests are recommended by doctors to detect fungal infection in the patient. The test is used when there are signs of skin and yeast infections.
The Fungus culture test is usually recommended by doctors and specialists used to detect fungal infections in the patient’s body fluids.
Nocardia is a type of rod-shaped bacteria that cause Nocardiosis. The Nocardia culture test is recommended by doctors to check for the presence of Nocardia bacteria.
A stool culture is recommended by doctors to detect the presence of bacteria in case there is an infection in the gastrointestinal tract of the patient. This test is usually combined with other tests to arrive at the final diagnosis.
A urine culture helps doctors to identify bacteria and other organisms that might have been responsible for causing a Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) in the patient’s urinary tract. The presence of bacteria in the urine indicates an infection as it is usually sterile (without any bacteria/fungi).
Semen analysis is recommended by the doctor to check if a couple suffers from infertility. The test is used to analyse the man’s semen for infertility. A number of tests are conducted to check for the quality and quantity of sperm.
Your doctor might recommend an acid-fast bacteria culture to check if you have Tuberculosis (TB) or any other infection. A positive result could also be indicative of other diseases that are caused by mycobacterial infections. For this culture, a sample of sputum/phlegm/tissue is used.
The AFB Ziehl–Neelsen stain test is conducted to check for acid-fast bacteria that fall under the genus ‘mycobacterium’. These are the type of bacteria that are responsible for tuberculosis.
Albert’s Stain is a stain that helps doctors check for diphtheria bacilli. Diphtheria is a potentially fatal disease that affects the nose, air passages, throat, and skin.