Microbiology & Urinalysis
Urine testing, bacterial cultures, and the stains and sensitivities that name what is actually there
From a Screening Result to a Named Organism
Two benches, one question: is there an infection, and what is it? A urinalysis screens a single clean-catch sample three ways and is usually resulted the same day. When the picture supports it, a culture takes it further — growing the organism, identifying it, and testing which antibiotics actually work against it. One is fast and needle-free; the other is definitive.
No Needle, No Fasting
A clean-catch sample is all we need. Nothing to prepare, nothing to plan around.
Same-Day Urinalysis
Dipstick and microscopic findings are typically resulted the same day. Cultures grow on their own schedule — see turnaround below.
Read in a CLIA-Certified Lab
Examined by trained technologists under a microscope — not a home strip and a color chart.
What We Measure
A complete urinalysis is really three examinations performed on the same specimen. Each one catches things the other two miss.
Physical Examination
Color, clarity, and specific gravity. Cloudy urine can point to infection or crystals, and how concentrated the sample is puts every other result on the report in context.
Chemical (Dipstick) Analysis
Reagent pads read for pH, protein, glucose, ketones, blood, bilirubin, urobilinogen, nitrite, and leukocyte esterase — the chemical fingerprint of what your kidneys are filtering out.
Microscopic Examination
The sample is spun down and the sediment examined for red and white blood cells, epithelial cells, bacteria, yeast, casts, and crystals — the findings that confirm what the dipstick only suggests.
What a Urinalysis Can Reveal
Urine is filtered blood, so it carries early evidence of problems well beyond the bladder. These are the patterns we look for most often.
Urinary Tract Infection
Nitrite, leukocyte esterase, white blood cells, and bacteria appearing together make a strong case for a UTI. When the picture supports it, a culture can identify the organism and which antibiotics will actually work against it.
Early Kidney Damage
Protein in the urine is one of the earliest signs that the kidneys’ filters are leaking — sometimes years ahead of symptoms. It matters most if you live with diabetes or high blood pressure.
Glucose in the Urine
Glucose in urine can mean blood sugar has risen past what the kidneys reabsorb — but SGLT2 inhibitors lower that threshold on purpose, and pregnancy lowers it too, so the finding is expected for many people whose blood sugar is well controlled. Ketones alongside it can signal that the body has switched to burning fat for fuel. Your provider reads this result against your medications.
Blood in the Urine
Even microscopic amounts are worth explaining. The cause can be as ordinary as a hard workout or as pressing as a kidney stone or infection — the rest of the panel helps tell those apart.
Liver and Bile Problems
Bilirubin and urobilinogen shifts can show up in urine before jaundice is visible, giving your provider a head start on liver and bile-duct issues.
Hydration and Concentration
Specific gravity and color together show how well your kidneys are concentrating urine — and whether you are simply running dry.
When Screening Is Not Enough: Culture & Sensitivity
A urinalysis tells you there is evidence of infection. A culture tells you what is growing and what will stop it. The specimen goes onto media, whatever grows is isolated and identified, and that isolate is tested against a panel of antibiotics to produce the susceptibility report your provider prescribes from.
Urine
The follow-up when a urinalysis points to infection. A colony count separates true infection from contamination, and the isolate is identified and tested for susceptibility.
Wound & Abscess
Swab or aspirate from a wound that is not healing. Identifies the organism and whether it is resistant to first-line treatment.
Throat & Respiratory
Throat culture for group A strep and respiratory specimens where an organism needs to be recovered rather than only detected.
Stool & GI
Stool culture for bacterial causes of persistent diarrhea, with molecular panels available when speed matters more than a recovered isolate.
Genital
Culture and wet mount for vaginitis and related complaints, alongside the molecular panels on our PCR menu.
Direct Microscopy & Stains
Gram stain, KOH prep, and saline wet mount read the specimen directly under the microscope — a first look at what is present without waiting for anything to grow.
Culture or Molecular Panel?
They answer different questions, and the right choice depends on what your provider needs to do next. We run both.
A molecular panel, when speed matters
Detects the pathogen’s genetic material directly, often within hours, and can flag known resistance genes without waiting for anything to grow.
See PCR testingA culture, when the isolate matters
Recovers a living organism, identifies it, and measures how it actually behaves against a panel of antibiotics — a phenotypic answer no panel can infer.
See antibiotic stewardshipTurnaround by Test Family
A culture is a living process — it finishes when the organism finishes growing, not when the courier arrives.
- Urinalysis
- Same day
- Routine bacterial culture
- Preliminary read at 24–48 hours; final identification and susceptibilities typically 48–72 hours
- Fungal & mycobacterial culture
- Days to weeks — these organisms grow slowly by nature
Urine Chemistry You Can Order Today
These urine chemistry and kidney markers are in our catalog right now, with no doctor’s order required. Order them on their own or add them to a visit.
Microalbumin (Urine Random)
Detects small amounts of albumin in urine. Early indicator of kidney damage, especially in diabetics.
Microalbumin/Creatinine Ratio
Compares albumin to creatinine in urine. More accurate assessment of kidney function than microalbumin alone.
Total Protein (Urine) Random
Detects protein in urine which may indicate kidney disease or damage.
Urine Protein/Creatinine Ratio
Estimates 24-hour protein excretion from a single urine sample. Used to monitor kidney disease.
Urine Creatinine
Measures creatinine in urine to assess kidney function and validate other urine test results.
How Collection Works
A clean-catch midstream sample takes about a minute. Our staff hands you a sterile cup and walks you through it — there is nothing to do beforehand.
- 1
Clean First
Use the wipe provided, so skin cells and bacteria never reach the cup.
- 2
Start, Then Catch
Begin urinating into the toilet, then move the cup into the stream mid-flow.
- 3
Hand It Back
Seal the cup and pass it to staff. Testing begins promptly so the sediment stays intact.
Collecting for culture
A culture asks more of the specimen than a urinalysis does: a sterile container, the right swab and transport medium for the source, and prompt delivery. A sample left sitting grows the wrong thing. Our staff supplies the correct kit for the source and records the collection time.
A urinalysis is a screening test. An abnormal result narrows down where to look — it is not a diagnosis on its own, and your provider may follow up with a culture, blood work, or imaging. Share your results with your provider before changing anything about your care.
A culture result is read alongside your symptoms. Growth is not automatically infection — skin and perineal organisms reach a container easily, and colonization is not disease. The colony count, the organism identified, and the clinical picture decide together. The lab reports what grew and what it was susceptible to; the treatment decision, including any antibiotic, belongs to your provider.
HSA & FSA Eligible
All of our lab tests qualify for payment with your Health Savings Account (HSA) or Flexible Spending Account (FSA). Use your pre-tax dollars for better health — it's a smart investment in yourself.
Ready for a Urinalysis?
Book a visit at any of our locations, or get in touch if you are not sure which tests you need.