Culture & Sensitivity – Wound Swab:
Why Culture and Sensitivity - Wound Swab Test?
CLINICAL INFORMATION
Wounds may be superficial breaks in the skin such as scrapes, cuts, scratches and may involve deeper tissues such as incision, bites, punctures or burns. A wound swab is necessary when there are clinical signs of infection like pain and the wound is deteriorating (forming of necrotic tissues causing slough), increasing in its size, causing complications and thus failing to heal (recurrent infections i.e due to mixed bacterial flora). If there is an exudate wound, pus culture is preferred as well. This test is performed on the sample specimen of wound swab to identify and measure the level of culture of the pathogenic organism(s)in appropriate nutrient media and the Antibiotic-Sensitivity Testing results reveal the most appropriate medication against the causative microbe to inhibit its growth. Hence wound culture and sensitivity test helps in the identification of microbes that colonize around the wound. The test result helps in the identification of the type of infectious agent (aerobic or anaerobic microbes and its type such as gram-positive or gram-negative bacteria), which eventually can prevent from causing deep penetrating wound causing local invasion to other organ systems and bones (osteomyelitis) and abscess etc. Signs and symptoms of wound infection include tender, red, swollen, draining fluid, pus and slow to heal. Other tests include Mass Spectrometry (MALDI-TOF: Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization Time of Flight) to identify the bacteria.
General Instructions:
Sample Requirement: Specimen –Wound swab. Test Preparation: None.
NOTE - Sample for specimen collections may vary based on the patient’s condition/cases according to the patient’s presenting complaints/signs or symptoms:
SPECIMEN REQUIREMENT (Special or Rare Cases) - As instructed and guided by Physician / Clinician / Pathologist / as per Laboratory’s requirements, according to procedures and protocols.
This Multi-Specialty Clinical Referral Laboratory RTDIAGNOSTICS provides precise and accurate tests with an extensive range of testing services to the medical centres to help in the diagnosis and identification of pathology in the test specimens for infectious diseases and also to evaluate the function of organ systems of the patient. It prevents further complications and helps to stabilize and restore health to near normalcy at the earliest without delay.
