General question about fecal vs culture vs gram stain
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- Little Jo Wheek
A flotation looks for parasite ova only. A direct smear is often (but not always) done at the same time. That is useful for ova as well as blood or bacteria.
A gram stain is more in depth and sensitive for bacteria and will tell you general characteristics (gram negative or positive) that helps pick the antibiotics to use or ID the microbes.
A culture is the most sophisticated of all the tests. It plates out and grows the bacteria or microbes and then they can be ID'd, gram stained, whatever, and subjected to antibiotics in lab to see which are the most effective antibiotics. It is also the most expensive test and takes many days at the lab.
A gram stain is more in depth and sensitive for bacteria and will tell you general characteristics (gram negative or positive) that helps pick the antibiotics to use or ID the microbes.
A culture is the most sophisticated of all the tests. It plates out and grows the bacteria or microbes and then they can be ID'd, gram stained, whatever, and subjected to antibiotics in lab to see which are the most effective antibiotics. It is also the most expensive test and takes many days at the lab.
Hmm, okay. So float/smear is for parasites, gram stain/culture is for bacteria.
I guess I need to know the difference between parasites and bacteria. Coccidia shows on a float, so that's a parasite, while Clostridium shows on a stain, so that's bacteria?
If there are weird poops/gas and the float/smear is negative, should I then go for the stain/culture?
I guess I need to know the difference between parasites and bacteria. Coccidia shows on a float, so that's a parasite, while Clostridium shows on a stain, so that's bacteria?
If there are weird poops/gas and the float/smear is negative, should I then go for the stain/culture?
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- You can quote me
Lynx, can a link to this thread be added to this thread?
I wasn't clear either about the various tests, and Josephine's explanation is a clear, concise reference.
I wasn't clear either about the various tests, and Josephine's explanation is a clear, concise reference.
I know this post is going to be useless since I forget the name of the thing, but anyway...
Dudley had weird poops and both fecals came back negative. I insisted on a gram stain and culture. The doc said she'd do it, but since they're expensive she wants to make sure I really wanted it. She figured there was nothing really going on and not to stress over it.
Of course I stressed over it and said that I want the stain / culture.
The culture DID grow something (very long name starting with an a?) and they found that it's gram negative. It turns out that it's basically nothing that a little probiotics won't cure, but she is prescribing something that I'm picking up today to get rid of it.
I feel good knowing that we caught something - even though it's minor - because I insisted on getting the tests. Yay again for GL!
Dudley had weird poops and both fecals came back negative. I insisted on a gram stain and culture. The doc said she'd do it, but since they're expensive she wants to make sure I really wanted it. She figured there was nothing really going on and not to stress over it.
Of course I stressed over it and said that I want the stain / culture.
The culture DID grow something (very long name starting with an a?) and they found that it's gram negative. It turns out that it's basically nothing that a little probiotics won't cure, but she is prescribing something that I'm picking up today to get rid of it.
I feel good knowing that we caught something - even though it's minor - because I insisted on getting the tests. Yay again for GL!