Urine Culture
A urine culture grows any bacteria present in a clean midstream sample, identifies the organism causing a urinary tract infection and tests which antibiotics will treat it.
- DHA-licensed lab
- Includes Doctor Consultation
- Physician-reviewed
- Same Day Collection
4 to 5 days
Turnaround
Urine
Sample
What the Urine Culture test tells you
A urine culture answers the question a urinalysis can only raise: is there an infection, and what is causing it? A measured amount of your urine is spread onto culture plates and incubated, and any aerobic bacteria present, which covers the organisms behind almost all urinary infections, grow into visible colonies. The laboratory counts the colonies to judge whether the growth is significant, identifies the organism, and then exposes it to a panel of antibiotics to see which ones stop it growing. That last step, the sensitivity test, is what turns the result into a treatment plan rather than just a name.
The report is descriptive. It states whether there was no growth, mixed growth suggesting contamination, or significant growth of a named organism with its colony count in colony-forming units per millilitre (CFU/mL). Escherichia coli accounts for most straightforward urinary infections, but Klebsiella, Proteus, Enterococcus, Staphylococcus saprophyticus and others appear regularly, and each has its own pattern of antibiotic resistance. Beside the organism the report lists each antibiotic tested by disc diffusion as sensitive, intermediate or resistant, so your doctor can choose a drug that will work rather than guess, and can switch a treatment that was started empirically if the organism turns out to be resistant to it.
Culture takes time because bacteria have to grow: plates are incubated for 48 hours before a sample can be reported as showing no growth, and a positive culture then needs further time for identification and sensitivities, which is why results take a few days rather than hours. It is also sensitive to how the sample was taken. Skin and genital bacteria washed into the container produce mixed growth that cannot be interpreted, and a sample left warm before it reaches the laboratory lets small, harmless numbers of bacteria multiply into an apparent infection. A clean midstream sample collected before antibiotics and delivered promptly gives a result your doctor can act on with confidence.
What the culture cannot do is decide on its own whether treatment is needed. Bacteria in the urine without symptoms is common, particularly in older adults and people with catheters, and is usually left alone outside pregnancy. Your doctor reads the culture together with your symptoms, the urinalysis and your history before deciding whether, and with what, to treat.
Confirming a suspected urinary tract infection, identifying the organism and its antibiotic sensitivities, investigating recurrent or treatment-resistant infections, and checking for infection in pregnancy or before urological procedures.
- Names the organism
Identifies the bacteria behind your infection instead of assuming it is the usual one.
- Guides the antibiotic
Sensitivity testing shows which antibiotics will work, avoiding drugs the organism resists.
- Explains recurrence
Shows whether repeat infections are the same organism returning or a new one each time.
- Protects higher-risk groups
Confirms or excludes infection in pregnancy, with a catheter, or before urological procedures.
Reasons your doctor may request the Urine Culture test
Your doctor may order this test for any of the reasons below. Some are routine checks, others follow specific symptoms or an earlier result.
Urinary symptoms & abnormal urinalysis
- You have burning, frequency, urgency or pain on passing urine.
- A urinalysis showed white cells, nitrite or bacteria and the organism needs confirming.
Recurrent or persistent infections
- You have had two or more urinary infections in the past year.
- Symptoms have not settled, or have returned, after a course of antibiotics.
Pregnancy, procedures & complicated infection
- You are pregnant and infection needs excluding, or you are being screened before a urological procedure.
- You have fever with flank or back pain, or a catheter and new urinary symptoms.
What this test cannot tell you
- It is a descriptive result rather than a number: no growth, contaminated, or a named organism with its sensitivities.
- Antibiotics taken before the sample, even one dose, can suppress growth and produce a false negative.
- Poor collection technique or delay before the laboratory causes mixed growth or falsely high counts that cannot be interpreted.
- Bacteria in the urine do not always need treating; the decision rests with your doctor, not the report.
Collecting your sample safely
- No needle is involved: you pass urine into a sterile container, so there is no physical risk.
- Wash your hands before and after, and don't touch the inside of the container or lid, so the sample stays clean.
- Close the lid firmly and keep the sample cool until it is collected, since a sample left warm can give a misleading result.
- 1A urine culture grows and names the bacteria causing a urinary infection, then tests which antibiotics stop it.
- 2Significant growth of one organism points to infection; mixed growth usually means the sample was contaminated.
- 3Collect the sample before any antibiotic if possible, since even one dose can prevent growth in the laboratory.
- 4Results take a few days because the bacteria have to grow before they can be identified and tested.
- 5Bacteria in the urine without symptoms is often not treated; your doctor decides using the culture and your history together.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about the Urine Culture test. Can't find what you're looking for?
Talk to our team→A positive urine culture means significant growth of one organism, which points to a urinary tract infection. The report names the bacteria and lists which antibiotics stop it. Bacteria in the urine without symptoms are often not treated, especially outside pregnancy, so your doctor decides on treatment using the culture and your history together.
"No growth" means no bacteria grew from your sample, so a bacterial urinary infection is unlikely to explain your symptoms. The exception is when an antibiotic was taken before the sample, since even one dose can suppress growth. If symptoms continue, your doctor may look for other causes or repeat the culture.
Wash first, then pass the first part of the stream into the toilet and collect the middle part in the sterile container, without touching the inside of the container or the lid. A first-morning sample is ideal but not essential. Keep it cool and hand it in promptly, because bacteria multiply in urine left at room temperature.
Typical symptoms are burning or pain when passing urine, needing to go often or urgently, cloudy or strong-smelling urine and discomfort low in the abdomen. Fever, loin pain or shivering can mean the infection has reached the kidney and needs prompt medical attention. A urine culture confirms the infection and shows which antibiotic will work.
Once an organism is grown, it is tested against a range of antibiotics. The report lists each as sensitive, meaning it should stop the bacteria, or resistant, meaning it is unlikely to work. Your doctor uses this list, together with your allergies, pregnancy status and other medicines, to choose or adjust treatment.
It is better to collect the sample before the first dose, because antibiotics in the urine can stop bacteria growing on the plate and produce a false negative. If you have already started, tell us: the culture may still grow the organism, and your doctor will read a negative result with that in mind.
Several different organisms grew in small numbers, which usually means skin or genital bacteria were washed into the container rather than that you have several infections. A repeat clean midstream sample normally settles it.
A urinalysis screens for signs of infection such as white cells and nitrite within a day. A culture actually grows the bacteria, names them and tests antibiotics against them, which takes longer but tells your doctor exactly what to treat and with what.
Bacteria have to multiply into visible colonies before they can be counted and identified: the plates are incubated for 48 hours before a sample can be reported as showing no growth, and the sensitivity test on a positive culture then needs a further period of incubation. Rushing either step gives an unreliable answer.
No fasting is needed. Collect the sample before starting any antibiotic if you can, because even a single dose can stop bacteria growing in the laboratory, and tell us if you have already taken one.
The urine culture test is AED 99, including a physician-reviewed report, with results usually within 4 to 5 days. Home collection anywhere in Dubai is free when your order reaches AED 300 or includes a package; below that, a AED 100 home collection fee applies (AED 50 for a lab walk-in).