Common Questions
Would a doctor ever prescribe an antibiotic without or before performing a culture?
Yes. In certain situations, a doctor may choose a therapy while a culture is incubating and in others, he may prescribe therapy without ever ordering a culture. While it is impossible to predict which microorganism is causing an infection unless a culture is performed, some organisms are seen more frequently than others. For instance, most
urinary tract infections (UTIs) are caused by the bacterium
Escherichia coli. Knowing this, a doctor may rely on his experience to deduce which “bug” is most likely to be causing the infection and to choose a drug that is effective in most cases. In addition, there are certain life-threatening infections that must be treated immediately, with no time to wait for the results of a culture. In other instances, a culture would not be attempted because a specimen may not be obtainable (such as with otitis media – ear infections) or the pathogen may not be easily isolated from other flora in the specimen (such as with community-acquired pneumonia). In these cases, the doctor chooses therapy to cover the most common pathogens that cause these infections.
Links
Related Pages on this Site
Tests: Urine Culture, Blood Culture, AFB Culture, Bacterial Wound Culture
Conditions: Urinary Tract Infection (UTI), Staph Wound Infections and Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus
Elsewhere on the Web
Do Bugs Need Drugs?
MicrobeWorld: Antibiotic Resistance
CDC, National Center for Infectious Diseases: Antimicrobial Resistance
CDC: Use Antibiotics Appropriately
CDC: Background on Antibiotic Resistance
CDC: Prevent Antimicrobial Resistance in Healthcare Settings
USFDA: Antibiotic Resistance
USFDA: The Battle of the Bugs: Fighting Antibiotic Resistance
American Lung Association Fact Sheet: Multidrug Resistant Tuberculosis
