Stool Culture

Test Details

Synonyms

• Culture, Stool, Comprehensive
• Enteric Pathogens Culture, Routine
• Feces Culture, Routine
• Routine Culture, Stool

Test Includes

Culture; isolation and identification (at an additional charge) of Salmonella, Shigella, and Campylobacter, and detection of enterohemorrhagic E coli (EHEC) Shiga toxin by EIA. If culture results warrant, susceptibility testing (additional charges/CPT code[s] may apply) may be performed. CPT coding for microbiology and virology procedures often cannot be determined before the culture is performed. Requests with only a written order and no test number indicated will be processed according to Default Testing for Routine Microbiology.

Use

Detect bacterial pathogenic organisms in the stool; diagnose typhoid fever, enteric fever, bacillary dysentery, Salmonella infection. Indications for stool culture include:1 • Bloody diarrhea • Fever • Tenesmus • Severe or persistent symptoms • Recent travel to a third world country • Known exposure to a bacterial agent • Presence of fecal leukocytes