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How to test for bacterial culture of urine during pregnancy - preparation and conduct of the study. How and why is urine analysis performed on a seeding tank

An analysis for bacterial culture during pregnancy should be done by every expectant mother. This procedure is carried out in order to identify pathogenic bacteria in the body of the expectant mother, which can provoke pathological conditions that complicate the course of pregnancy. Bacterial culture is a laboratory method for identifying the causative agent of a particular infection of an acute and chronic nature. The material is biological material taken from a possible focus of infection. For bacterial sowing, a small amount of mucus, blood, urine, feces or bile, applied to the nutrient medium, is used. If a pathogen is present in the sample, then falling into favorable conditions within 3-7 days it forms a colony of bacteria. In addition to isolating the pathogen, with the help of bacterial sowing, it is possible to determine whether the pathogen is sensitive to a particular antimicrobial drug.

Most often, the following bacteriological tests are prescribed for pregnant women:

  • Bacterial culture of a vaginal smear. It is necessary to exclude diseases of the genitourinary sphere, which are especially dangerous for the life and health of the unborn child.
  • Bacterial urine culture. Necessary if urinary tract inflammation is suspected.
  • Bacterial culture of mucus from the nasal cavity to identify Staphylococcus aureus. In the postpartum period, this pathogen can cause serious illnesses in the baby - purulent skin lesions, sore throat, conjunctivitis, etc.

If the test for bacterial culture during pregnancy turns out to be positive, then the pregnant woman must undergo appropriate treatment and re-take the test until negative results are obtained.

During pregnancy, a woman will have to take a lot several times. And this is not a whim of doctors, but an urgent need. Judge for yourself, if one or another disease is not detected in time, in the future it can have a very negative effect on the health of the mother or baby, as well as on the course of pregnancy. The list of required tests contains items such as.

Bacterial culture is a laboratory study involving the cultivation of bacteria on special (favorable for a particular species) nutrient media. For this, certain temperature conditions are created. This study is carried out in order to find out what microbes are present in the focus, where the material was taken from for analysis, whether there are pathogens among them, how many of them are there. Also, with the help of bacterial culture, it is possible to determine which drugs are most sensitive to microbes. This means that the patient can be offered the most effective treatment regimen. To obtain a reliable result, it is very important that everything is done sterile. This research method is very informative, since it has a very high sensitivity and specificity.

During pregnancy, biological material is taken from:

  1. vagina (determine sexually transmitted diseases: ureaplasmosis, mycoplasmosis, trichomoniasis, gardnerelosis, various forms, etc.);
  2. nose (detect the presence or absence of Staphylococcus aureus);
  3. urine (performed to identify asymptomatic or latent bacteriuria, which is dangerous during pregnancy).

We think it is not worth explaining that all of the listed sexually transmitted diseases are extremely dangerous for the formation and development of the fetus (sometimes even for its life), therefore, if there are suspicions, it is worthwhile to immediately do an analysis. However, your obstetrician-gynecologist will not send you home without taking an analysis, if there is a reason for it.

Nasal culture for Staphylococcus aureus is carried out to determine the carriage and prevent infection of the child by sanitizing the mother. This analysis is carried out as soon as a woman is registered with an antenatal clinic. The material for research is taken by the medical staff of the clinic or directly by the laboratory.

Bacterial urine culture must be submitted twice: during registration and at 36 weeks of gestation. You may have to take more if you have indications: kidney and bladder diseases, the appearance of protein and leukocytes in the general urine test. To pass this analysis, a woman needs to buy a special sterile jar, collect the first morning urine there and take it to the laboratory. For the analysis to be reliable, you must follow the procedure for collecting urine. To do this, you need to thoroughly wash yourself, insert a piece of cotton wool into the vagina, collect an average portion of urine. The jar of urine must be delivered to the laboratory within an hour.

As a rule, these analyzes are paid today. But this is not at all a reason not to take them. Believe me, "missed" disease in the future can cost you much more.

Specially for- Olga Pavlova

Starting from the early stages of pregnancy, a woman has to take a variety of tests quite often. And this is really important, because in this way it becomes possible to establish the onset of the development of a disease in time and start timely treatment. If the treatment is not started on time, there is a risk not only for the development of the child, but also for the health of the expectant mother. Without fail, a woman must also pass bacteriological cultures.

What is tank seeding?

Sowing tank - This is a special laboratory study, during which bacteria are grown on special nutrient media that are favorable for a certain type of bacteria. Also, special temperature conditions are created for this.

This type of research is carried out in order to determine which microbes are in the focus from which the material was taken for research, and also to establish whether there are pathogenic microbes and how many of them.

The seeding tank makes it possible to determine which particular drugs the microbes are sensitive to, which makes it possible to carry out the most effective treatment.

In order for a reliable result after the analysis to be obtained, all manipulations must be carried out under strict sterility conditions. It is this research method that today provides the maximum amount of information, since it has not only high specificity, but also sensitivity.

How is a urine culture tank done during pregnancy?

A urine culture tank is made as follows - a relatively small amount of biological material is applied directly to the nutrient medium. Then the tubes are carefully placed in a special thermostat and left for a while. It is in the thermostat that ideal conditions are created for the reproduction and growth of bacteria.

Then the bacteria that are in the studied biomaterial will be determined, and the presence of pathogens among them is also established. This analysis is done on average no more than 5 days.

At least twice, urine culture will be carried out during the period of gestation - the first time at an early stage and the second at the 36th week of pregnancy. In all cases, as soon as a pregnant woman is registered with an antenatal clinic, a urine culture tank is also assigned to determine Staphylococcus aureus.

In the event that the expectant mother has kidney and bladder diseases, this analysis will need to be done a little more often. With the onset of pregnancy, a restructuring of the hormonal background occurs, while certain physical changes are observed, including the expansion of the ureters. As a result, conditions are created for the development of various infectious and inflammatory diseases of the urinary tract. It is with the help of a urine culture tank that it becomes possible to determine the disease at an early stage, after which adequate treatment is prescribed.

To obtain the most accurate result, during the process of collecting biological material for the study, it is necessary to strictly adhere to several fairly simple rules:

  1. The material for analysis should only be collected in a sterile container; approximately the middle part of the first morning urine will be needed. It will be necessary to carry out hygiene of the external genital organs in advance.
  2. To obtain the most accurate result, the urine collected for analysis must be handed over to the laboratory no later than an hour after collection.
  3. If the urine culture tank is surrendered during pregnancy, the results will list all microorganisms that are currently contained in the test fluid - protozoa, fungi, bacteria.
  4. The results will be determined in colony forming units per ml of fluid - CFU / ml. There is no need for treatment if readings are less than 1000 CFU / ml. Provided that the obtained indicator is in the range of 1000-100000 CFU / ml, then this result is doubtful. Upon receipt of such a result, the doctor may prescribe a re-analysis.
  5. If the indicators exceed 100,000 CFU / ml, then there is an infection, inflammation that requires immediate treatment. To determine the sensitivity of microorganisms to a medicinal preparation, a study will be carried out, called "antibactogram". Thanks to this research, the doctor will be able to prescribe the most effective treatment.
  6. About three weeks after she has finished taking the prescribed medications, the woman should re-take the urine culture tank to determine how effective the treatment has been.

There are cases when the infection proceeds without any symptoms, therefore, the onset of the disease can be determined only with the help of an appropriate examination. Thanks to the culture tank during pregnancy, it will be possible to establish bacteriuria, which is asymptomatic. If the infection is detected on time and timely treatment is not started, there can be serious consequences not only for the health of the child, but also for the mother.

In order to obtain the most accurate analysis result, only morning urine is taken for the study, collected only in a sterile container (can be purchased at any pharmacy).

Together with urine, all end products of metabolism are excreted from the body, as well as salts, excess fluid, enzymes, some hormones, vitamins. Thanks to the general analysis of urine, you can find out about the state of both the kidneys and other organs (gastrointestinal tract, liver, heart).

The reliability of the result will directly depend on the accuracy of compliance with the main conditions for collecting material for analysis:

  • about a day before the test, it is forbidden to use coloring products, which include beets;
  • the day before the analysis, it is necessary to abandon strong physical exertion, as this can affect the level of protein concentration in the urine;
  • the day before the analysis, it is forbidden to take not only diuretics, but also other medicines;
  • collected urine can be stored for no longer than 2 hours;
  • before collecting material for analysis, it is necessary to conduct a thorough toilet of the external genital organs;
  • for the study, you will need at least 70 ml of urine.

Decoding urine analysis

Urine analysis is deciphered as follows.

Physical research:

  • specific gravity (density) depends on substances dissolved in urine, which include salts, urea, glucose,;
  • the transparency of urine will directly reflect the properties of the substances that are contained in it. Normally, all substances will be in solution and fresh urine should be completely transparent;
  • the color will depend on the volume of urine, as well as the number of coloring pigments. Within the normal range, urine is considered, which has a straw-yellow color, which is due to the urinary pigment urochrome;
  • most often, the amount of morning urine is approximately 150-250 ml, which does not give an idea of ​​the daily urine output. To establish the density of urine, it is necessary to measure its amount.

Chemical research:

Protein is practically not detected in the urine of a completely healthy woman, which will be due to the tubular reabsorption of protein, which is filtered in the glomeruli. Proteins that have been found in urine are called "proteinuria", while it can be pathological and physiological.

In the event that the pregnancy proceeds without complications, then orthostatic proteinuria can be determined (in the urine, the protein concentration will be up to 0.033 g / l). It can be caused by compression of the renal veins by the uterus and the inferior vena cava by the liver. Physiological proteinuria also includes the appearance of protein in the urine after eating a large amount of protein foods, in the case of severe emotional stress, high physical exertion.

The acidity of urine Ph will be determined by the concentration of hydrogen ions H +, the formation of which occurs during the dissociation of organic acids, as well as acidic salts of inorganic acids that are contained in urine.

From bilirubin in the intestine, which comes from the liver along with bile, urobilinogen is formed. Among the norm is the detection of traces of urobilinogen in urine. In the case of their complete absence, there are suspicions of a violation of the flow of bile into the intestine.

In the urine of a completely healthy person, bilirubin will not be detected, since only direct bilirubin, contained in the urine in a minimum amount, can pass through the glomerular filter, and it will not be detected with quality samples.

Glucose that enters the primary urine in the renal tubules will be completely reabsorbed and cannot be determined with standard research methods. With an increased concentration of glucose in the urine, it will be detected only in the case of a decrease in renal powder (with diabetes mellitus).

In completely healthy people, physiological short-term glucosuria can be present if the daily diet contains an increased amount of it, as well as under severe stress. If the pregnancy is proceeding normally, without deviations and complications, glucosuria may be associated with increased glomerular filtration of glucose.

Microscopic examination of urine sediment:

Microscopic examination distinguishes between unorganized (various salts) and organized sediment (erythrocytes, casts, epithelium).

Leukocytes are single or completely absent in the field of view. If there are more than 5 leukocytes in the field of view, leukocyturia can be infectious and aseptic.

In the urine of completely healthy people, leukocytes will be single or completely absent. They do not pass through the glomerular filter, and appear in the urine only if pathological processes occur in the urinary tract or kidneys.

In the field of view, single epithelial cells can be present, listened to from various parts of the urinary tract - transitional (ureter, pelvis, bladder), flat (urethra). Normally, tubular (renal) epithelium should be absent. Taking into account a certain type of cells, it becomes possible to establish the localization of the pathological process.

Normally, bacteria should be absent, however, bacteriuria will not in all cases indicate an inflammatory process, since it is the number of bacteria that is of primary importance.

Cylinders are casts of renal tubules of protein or cellular composition. Hyaline casts are made of protein, which can be present after exercise and this is considered normal. It is the cell cylinders that indicate pathology.

The appearance of crystals of various salts in the urine may indicate a change in the reaction of urine. Among the norm is the presence of only a small amount of amorphous urates and oxalates.

During pregnancy, certain physiological changes occur in the work of the urinary system. During this period, the kidneys begin to work more intensively, because both the products of its own metabolism and the metabolic products of the child are excreted from the body. Therefore, it is necessary with increased attention to monitor even minor changes in the quantity, quality, cellular composition of urine.

During the first trimester of pregnancy, there is a gradual increase in renal blood flow, then a gradual decrease is observed, due to which other organs can receive additional blood volume.

An increase in glomerular filtration occurs, while during all 9 months of pregnancy there will be no changes in tubular reabsorption, as a result of which excess fluid is retained in the body. All this will manifest itself as pasty on the legs during the last months of pregnancy.

There is a gradual enlargement of the uterus, as a result of which the location of adjacent organs also changes. By the end of pregnancy, the bladder will be displaced upward, going beyond the boundaries of the small pelvis. In this case, the walls of the bladder hypertrophy, since they must resist the pressure of the uterus.

In some cases, the development of a hydroureter may occur, that is, the correct patency of the ureter is impaired, as a result of which urine accumulates in it (most often it appears on the right). This is due to the fact that the increasing uterus turns slightly to the right, therefore, the ureter is pressed against the nameless line of the pelvic bone.

As a result of exposure to hormones (most often exactly), a gradual expansion, as well as a decrease in the tone of the urinary tract, is observed. All this leads to the fact that infection (pyelonephritis) can develop during pregnancy. And it is precisely thanks to the regular delivery of urine analysis that the doctor can not only determine in time the onset of the development of a particular disease, but also prescribe adequate treatment that will help get rid of the disease, but will not harm the fetus.

A urine culture tank during pregnancy is used to determine the infection of internal organs and harmful bacteria that infect them. At the same time, the analysis is able to provide information about which medicines will be most successfully used.

What the urine culture tank shows during pregnancy

A urine culture tank during pregnancy is a study that shows the content of harmful bacteria, the number and degree of their influence, as well as the sensitivity to certain antibacterial drugs. The smear is used in special laboratories, where a favorable environment is created from nutrients in order to grow bacteria, taking into account a special temperature regime.

Bacterial urine culture during pregnancy determines a specific type of microorganism that adversely affects the body. The collection of biological fluid is carried out under the condition of sterility in order to prevent distortion of the data and subsequently designate the type of antibiotic therapy that will be highly effective.

How to donate a urine culture tank during pregnancy

To collect urine for bacterial culture, you must adhere to some recommendations:
  • delivery of only morning urine is possible, since during this period it is more concentrated, which indicates high rates during diagnosis;
  • the analysis is submitted only in a sterile container, which prevents the ingress of bacteria from the external environment;
  • tank culture for sterility from the cervical canal with a catheter should be done with the utmost care, preventing the spread of infection;
  • carry out hygiene procedures before collection;
  • per day it is required to exclude salty dishes and foods that change the color of urine;
  • give up physical activity per day so as not to provoke an increase in protein;
  • do not increase or decrease normal water consumption;
  • refuse to take diuretics for this period.
The instruction indicates that the container with urine in the laboratory should be no later than 2 hours after taking the liquid in order for the answer to be as reliable as possible.

Decoding urine culture tank during pregnancy

At the examination stage, a small amount of urine is taken and placed in a thermostat with a favorable environment, and after a few days, the growth of microorganisms is assessed. After that, a study of the biomaterial is carried out in order to identify the type of pathogenic microflora and sensitivity to a certain category of antibiotics. The most detailed analysis is done and transferred to the doctor, since the decoding of the result is possible only with the help of specialists.

Culture of urine for microflora from the cervical canal correctly assesses the indicators of the presence of genitourinary sexually transmitted infections. Positive results indicate the need for urgent treatment, since bacteria, when entering the uterine cavity, cause fetal growth retardation or miscarriage.

A poor test for the flora of pregnancy implies the presence of asymptomatic bacteriuria, when E. coli or enterococcus faecalis is found. The situation is dangerous for the infection to enter the ascending pathway to the kidneys, which can provoke pyelonephritis. Staphylococcus aureus in nasal culture requires immediate treatment to prevent fetal infection.

Urine culture tank rate

The norm of results when decoding contains colony-forming units per 1 ml of liquid:
  • 1000 CFU / ml or less is the norm;
  • from 100 to 100,000 CFU / ml - doubtful;
  • more than 100,000 CFU / ml - infection has occurred.
Further, in the research form, all microorganisms that inhabit the cervical canal will be listed in order. A bad urine culture tank may contain yeast, gardnerella, Trichomonas, gonococcus, Proteus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa in large quantities. The influence on the woman's health and the intrauterine development of these bacteria is very great, therefore, appropriate treatment is necessary.

The norm of streptococcus in a smear should not exceed 104 CFU / ml, but it should be borne in mind that only some varieties cause a pathological reaction. Staphylococcus and streptococcus in a study in a small volume is considered a normal manifestation.

It is not uncommon for a positive analysis to be the result of improper collection of biological material, therefore, a retake is required in order to understand how reliable the examination was. If an infection of the genitourinary system is detected again, it will be necessary to undergo an antibacterial course of treatment, which can only be prescribed by a doctor.