Culture And Sensitivity Aerobic Groin Swab
What is this test?
Groin sample may be used to culture and test the sensitivity of the bacteria. This test helps in diagnosing the cause of groin infection. The goal is to see if the infection is due to aerobic bacteria. For this test, a sterile cotton swab is used to collect the sample. The sample collected is sent immediately to the laboratory.
What is a groin infection?
The groin is an area of your hip between the stomach and thigh. It is located where your abdomen ends and your legs begin. Groin infection can be caused by bacteria, fungus or sexually transmitted infections like herpes, etc. This can be transmitted to you by your partner if he/she has sexually transmitted infections. The symptoms of groin infection are redness, persistent itching, pain that spreads to the chest, lower back, or abdomen, changes in testicles such as lumps or swelling, blood in urine, fever, nausea, etc.
What are Aerobic bacteria?
Bacteria are the single-celled microorganisms that can live within the soil, in the ocean and also inside the human gut. They have a number of shapes such as spirals, rods, and spheres etc. Some bacteria can cause illness to the human body and some other plays a major role in the overall functioning of our ecosystem.
Aerobic bacteria are the bacteria which can survive in the presence of oxygen only. In the absence of oxygen, aerobic bacteria cannot survive and can die. Some of the aerobic bacteria are Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Nocardia, Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis etc.
What are culture and sensitivity testing?
In laboratories, the bacteria are often grown with the help of growth media (nutrient preparation which acts as a source of food for the bacteria). The grown bacteria is observed under a microscope to identify the type of bacteria. The process is called as bacterial culturing. The bacterial culturing is often used in the field of medicine to identify the species of bacteria causing the infection and to know what kind of medicines are effective in killing the bacteria and planning the treatment accordingly.
Why this test is recommended?
This test may be recommended to you if you experience symptoms like redness, persistent itching, pain that spreads to the chest, lower back, or abdomen, changes in testicles such as lumps or swelling, blood in urine, fever, nausea, etc. This test may be specially performed to check if the infection is due to aerobic bacteria or not. This test is also recommended to plan the treatment according to the type of bacteria and to check the effectiveness of the treatment given.
Also known as C/S Aerobic Groin Swab.
Test Preparation
Inform your doctor if you are on any medications, have any allergies or underlying medical conditions before your Culture And Sensitivity Aerobic Groin Swab. Your doctor will give specific instructions depending on your condition on how to prepare for Culture And Sensitivity Aerobic Groin Swab.
No specific preparation is required for this test.
Understanding your test results
The normal test results may vary depending on age, health history, medical condition, etc.
If your test results show negative it means there is no growth of aerobic bacteria.
If your test results show positive it may indicate that you may have aerobic bacterial infection.
If you get abnormal test results, consult your doctor immediately with your lab test reports.
| Gender | Age groups | Value |
| UNISEX | All age groups | The growth depends on the infecting organism. Clearing around the disc indicates organism is sensitive to antibiotic |