Attention, chocolate lovers: You may not be able to help yourselves. Swiss and British scientists have linked the widespread love of chocolate to a chemical "signature" that may be programmed into our metabolic systems.
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Urine Culture
Overview & Description
A urine culture is a test done on a sample of urine. The urine is smeared on a special culture media in the lab and allowed to grow. It is then examined to see if there are infection-causing organisms present. If there are, the organisms are identified under a microscope.
Who is a candidate for the test?
A urine culture is ordered to see if a urinary tract infection is present.
How is the test performed?
There are two methods for collecting urine: the clean-catch method and the catheterization method.
Clean-catch method
In this method, the person is given special disposable wipes and a sterile container to hold urine.
Catheterization method
This method can be used when the person has difficulty urinating or is unable to cooperate.
In the lab, the urine sample is grown on culture media. If any disease-causing microorganisms grow on the culture plate, these are identified. A sensitivity test may also be done to identify antibiotics that will kill the organisms. This allows the provider to choose a treatment program.