Urine Culture Report: Colony Count, Sensitive vs Resistant (Video)

2:32 min

Read the full written guide: Urine Culture Report: Colony Count, Sensitive vs Resistant →

Learn how a urine culture is done, what the colony count numbers mean, and why the S, I, and R labels aren’t a simple shopping list. We’ll walk you through the lab process, the safety precautions, and the biggest mistake people make when they see an ‘S’ on the report.

Get practical tips for collecting a clean sample, understand when a culture needs urgent medical attention, and know why you should always let your doctor choose the right antibiotic. This video gives you the essential facts without medical jargon.

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Transcript

Can a urine culture be fooled by a single dose of antibiotics?

Can a urine culture be fooled by a single dose of antibiotics?

Urine Culture Basics

Today we’ll demystify urine culture reports, walk through how they’re made, explain what the S and R letters mean, and save you from a common mistake you might be making.

Safety First

In many South Asian countries antibiotics are easy to buy, so people often spot an ‘S’ on the report and order the pill themselves. But doctors consider pregnancy, kidney function, allergies, other meds, and how sick you are before picking a drug.

Significant growth

A colony count of one hundred thousand CFU per millilitre or higher is usually taken as significant growth, meaning the lab thinks there’s enough bacteria to cause an infection. Lower counts may be ignored unless symptoms match.

How it works

To make a culture, the lab spreads a measured drop of your urine onto a nutrient agar plate, keeps it warm like body temperature, and lets any living germs multiply into visible colonies overnight. Then they count them and calculate CFU per millilitre.

S, I, R meanings

The lab then tests the identified germ against a panel of antibiotics. If the usual strength stops it, the result shows an ‘S’ for sensitive. An ‘I’ means it might work with higher exposure, while an ‘R’ means the germ kept growing despite the drug.

Doctor’s menu

Remember, the sensitivity panel is a menu for your doctor, not a shopping list for you. It gives options, but the final prescription depends on your whole health picture, not just the lab’s letters.

Wait after urination

For the most accurate result, collect your mid-stream sample at least two hours after your last bathroom visit. Waiting helps the urine concentrate so the colony count reflects what’s really there, not a diluted sample.

The one mistake to avoid

The biggest mistake you can make is buying an antibiotic just because it’s marked ‘S’ on the report. Always let your doctor decide, because they’ll weigh pregnancy, kidney health, allergies, other meds, and how severe the infection is.

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Read the full guide

The full guide is on thecareonline.com. General information only, so check with your doctor for your own case.

Nothing on The Care Online is medical advice. Traditional practices are described as tradition, not as fact. Take a persistent or serious concern to a qualified professional. See how videos and posts are made on our methodology page.