A wound culture identifies bacteria, viruses, fungi, and germs in a wound by taking a fluid or tissue sample and placing it in a nutrient-rich container. The purpose is to identify the specific agent causing an infection to provide proper treatment. A doctor orders a wound culture when there is evidence of infection, and treatment may start before results come back.
A wound culture is a test used to identify bacteria, viruses, fungi, and other germs that may exist within a wound. To conduct a wound culture, a healthcare professional takes a sample of fluid or tissue from the wound in question and places it in a container containing a growth medium or culture. A medium is a nutrient-rich substance used to promote growth; any germs present in the fluid or tissue sample will almost certainly grow and multiply. If something grows in the container, some form of germ has been confirmed and further tests can be performed for identification purposes. If nothing grows, on the other hand, it can be reasonably assumed that there are no bacteria, fungi or viruses growing in the wound.
A specific type of wound culture such as a fungal culture may be used if the cause of a particular infection is suspected or most other alternative possibilities have been ruled out. A viral culture, for example, uses a medium filled with cells that a virus can infect to grow and multiply. Infected cells change in a variety of ways, allowing healthcare workers to confirm the presence of a virus in the culture. Some types of crops can grow rapidly, allowing for quick identification, while others may require several weeks of growth time before they can be properly identified.
The main purpose of a wound culture is to identify the specific agent causing an infection so that proper treatment can be given to prevent further damage from the infection. In some cases, simple topical antibiotic or antifungal medications may be adequate to clear the infection and allow the wound to heal properly. In other cases, however, the culture of the wound reveals the presence of a particularly resistant infectious agent that must be treated by other means. Serious infections can spread from the wound to the rest of the body and cause serious problems. In particularly severe cases, these infections can even be fatal.
A doctor typically orders a wound culture only when there is evidence that a patient’s wound may be infected. Such evidence typically includes abnormal wound color, fluid leakage from the wound, or, in advanced cases, general illness accompanied by wound abnormality. In some cases, a healthcare provider may start treatment before the wound culture results actually come back. This is common when a doctor strongly suspects a specific type of infection and wants to start treating it as soon as possible. A wound culture may also be ordered after treatment to check the effectiveness of the treatment.
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