What is a sensitivity test when testing sputum?

What is a sensitivity test when testing sputum?

Sometimes other tests are done to find the right medicine for treating the infection. This is called sensitivity testing. You may be asked to cough to provide the sputum sample. Some people can’t cough deeply enough to produce a sample. They can breathe in a special mist to help them cough.

What is the best time to collect sputum sample for culture and sensitivity?

the morning
Ideally specimens should be obtained in the morning as secretions pool in the lung overnight, providing an environment in which bacteria can replicate (Dougherty and Lister, 2015); this is particularly important when testing for tuberculosis.

What is the purpose of performing the sensitivity test on sputum samples?

An antibiotic sensitivity test is used to help find the best treatment for a bacterial infection. It may also be used to find out which treatment will work best on certain fungal infections.

What is normal sputum culture levels?

The quality of sputum samples is determined by the minimum number of squamous epithelial cells and polymorphonuclear leukocytes per low power field. An acceptable specimen has more than 25 leukocytes and fewer than 10 epithelial cells per low power field.

How do you collect sputum for culture and sensitivity?

After a big cough, collect the sputum into the provided container. Replace the lid and tighten firmly….Step 2

1. Food should not be ingested for 1-2 hours prior to collection.
2. Mouth should be rinsed out with water or saline prior to collection.
3. Patient should breathe and cough deeply.

Why do we do culture and sensitivity?

Culture and sensitivity testing is performed to help diagnose an infection. It may also help your health care provider decide which medicines to use in treating your infection. This test involves taking a tissue or fluid sample from your body and testing it to see if germs will grow in it.

What time of day is best to collect a sputum specimen?

first wake
Best time of day to collect sputum is when you first wake. Do not eat, drink or smoke before coughing up sputum from the lungs. Rinse (do not swallow) the mouth with water before sputum is collected to minimize residual food particles, mouthwash, or oral drugs that might contaminate the specimen.

What is a culture and sensitivity test?

A culture is a test to find germs (such as bacteria or a fungus) that can cause an infection. A sensitivity test checks to see what kind of medicine, such as an antibiotic, will work best to treat the illness or infection.

How is a culture and sensitivity test performed?

In this test, a health care provider will take a tissue sample or fluid sample from your body and test it in a lab to see if germs will grow in it (culture). Any germs that grow from the culture will be tested against a variety of medicines to find which medicine works best (sensitivity testing).

How do you read a sputum culture?

Sputum Culture

1. Clear. This usually means no disease is present, but large amounts of clear sputum may be a sign of lung disease.
2. White or gray. This may also be normal, but increased amounts may mean lung disease.
3. Dark yellow or green. This often means a bacterial infection, such as pneumonia.
4. Brown.
5. Pink.
6. Red.

How do you collect culture sputum?

To collect a sputum sample, you should do the following:

1. Brush your teeth and rinse your mouth without using antiseptic mouthwash.
2. Take a couple of long, deep breaths.
3. Breathe deeply again and cough hard until sputum comes up.
4. Spit out the sputum into the sample cup.

What does a positive sputum culture mean?

Culture results can take several weeks, so your provider may decide to treat your infection in the meantime. If your AFB culture was positive, it means you have active TB or another type of AFB infection. The culture can identify which type of infection you have.

How to interpret sputum culture?

Sputum is a thick mucus produced in the lungs. It is also known as phlegm and, because of its thickness, can contain infectious germs. In a sputum culture test, a laboratory uses a sample of this mucus to try to encourage the growth of any bacteria or other germs that may be causing an infection.

What can sputum tell us?

Sputum samples have been used to quantify the degree of airway inflammation in human diseases such as asthma. Specifically, this work has demonstrated that a sub group of severe asthma patients have airway inflammation that is resistant to treatment with corticosteroids.

What are the abnormal results of a sputum culture?

The results of a sputum culture test are primarily reported as normal (negative) or abnormal (positive): Normal or negative means that the test did not detect any harmful germs in your sputum. Abnormal or positive indicates that potentially harmful bacteria or fungi were detected.