Skin and Wound Cultures
Wound and Skin Cultures
How It Is Done
To collect a tissue or fluid sample from a wound, a sterile swab is inserted into the wound. The health professional collecting the sample may press around the wound and gently turn the swab to collect as much tissue or fluid as possible. The swab is then placed into either an aerobic or anaerobic culture tube or both, depending on the type of organism suspected.
A needle may be used to collect fluid from a wound that is covered (scabbed-over) or from an abscess. The fluid is then placed in the culture tube.
Your doctor may need to remove a sample of skin or tissue (biopsy) for testing. If collecting the sample is likely to cause pain, you may be given a shot to numb the area (local anesthetic) first.
Once a sample is collected, it is placed in a container with a substance (called growth medium or culture medium) that that helps bacteria or fungus grow. Bacteria usually need about one to two days to grow; fungi usually need several days to grow. Any bacteria or fungi that grow will be identified with a microscope, chemical tests, or both. If sensitivity testing is done to help make decisions about treatment, one or two more days may be needed.
 Go to previous section |  Go to top of page |  Go to next section |
| Author: | Sydney Youngerman-Cole, RN, BSN, RNC | Last Updated: June 20, 2006 |
| Medical Review: | William M. Green, MD - Emergency Medicine W. David Colby IV, MSc, MD, FRCPC - Infectious Disease | |
 | ||
| Topic Contents | |
| Test Overview | |
| Why It Is Done | |
| How To Prepare | |
 | How It Is Done |
| How It Feels | |
| Risks | |
| Results | |
| What Affects the Test | |
| What To Think About | |
| Credits | |