Infection Tests

Blood culture bottles in a laboratory incubator
Blood cultures try to grow bacteria or fungi from a blood sample
Infographic: sample, culture, identify
Infection tests find the germ and show which antibiotics work against it
Petri dish with bacterial colonies on red agar
Bacteria grown on a culture plate can be identified and tested against antibiotics

The Tests (3)

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Blood Culture

Attempts to grow bacteria or fungi from drawn blood to confirm a bloodstream infection, identify the germ and show which antibiotics work against it.

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Procalcitonin Test

Measures a calcitonin precursor that rises sharply in serious bacterial infection but stays low in viral illness, used in sepsis and antibiotic decisions.

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H Pylori Test

Breath, stool, biopsy and antibody tests for a common stomach bacterium linked to ulcers; acid-reducing drugs, bismuth and antibiotics can cause false negatives.

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Identifying an organism and judging whether an illness is bacterial.

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