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Stool Culture
Aka: Stool Culture
- Indications
- Replaced by Enteric Pathogens Nucleic Acid Test Panels
- Older indications
- Toxic appearance
- Prolonged Diarrhea >4-7 days
- Blood or pus in stool (or other signs of Inflammatory Diarrhea)
- Immunocompromised patients
- Very young or very old patients
- Efficacy
- Test Sensitivity: 5% at best for Bacterial cause identification
- Replaced by Enteric Pathogens Nucleic Acid Test Panels
- Components: Bacteria typically included in test (SSCE)
- Salmonella
- Shigella
- Campylobacter
- Escherichia coli 0157:H7 (STEC: Shiga Toxin E coli)
- Shiga Toxin (if bloody stool)
- Avoid antimicrobial agents
- Disadvantages
- Very expensive
- Low Test Sensitivity (see above)
- Typically does not alter management (most Diarrhea is not treated with antibiotics)