Stool Complete Analysis

The stool culture is a test that detects and identifies bacteria that cause infections of the lower digestive tract. The test distinguishes between the types of bacteria that cause disease (pathogenic) and the types that are normally found in the digestive tract (normal flora). The test helps to determine if pathogenic bacteria are the cause of a person’s gastrointestinal symptoms (gastroenteritis).

The bacteria found in stool are representative of the bacteria that are present in the digestive system (gastrointestinal tract). Certain bacteria and fungi called normal flora to inhabit everyone’s gastrointestinal tract. They play an important role in the digestion of food and their presence keeps a check on the growth of disease-causing bacteria.

Sometimes, the balance of the normal flora may be affected by the administration of broad-spectrum antibiotics; the drugs inhibit the growth of normal flora and allow the bacteria Clostridium difficile that is resistant to the antibiotics to survive and overgrow the digestive tract, leading to symptoms such as diarrhea and abdominal pain.

Pathogenic bacteria can enter and infect the digestive tract when someone eats food or drinks water that is contaminated. Examples of contaminated sources include raw or undercooked eggs, poultry or beef, unpasteurized milk, and untreated water from lakes, streams, and (occasionally) from community water supplies. (For more on this, see the article Food and Waterborne Illness.)

Some of these bacteria may be true pathogens while others are strains of gastrointestinal bacteria that are normal flora for the local inhabitants but cause gastrointestinal distress to the tourist. Visitors may become infected by eating or drinking anything that has been contaminated with the bacteria, even things as simple as tap water, ice cubes in a drink, a fresh salad, or food from a vendor’s stall.

The most common symptoms of a pathogenic bacterial infection are prolonged diarrhea, bloody diarrhea, mucus in the stool, abdominal pain and cramping, and nausea. If diarrhea lasts more than a few days, it may lead to complications such as dehydration and electrolyte imbalance, which can be dangerous conditions, especially for children and the elderly. Dehydration can cause symptoms such as dry skin, fatigue, and light-headedness.

Severely affected people may require hospitalization to replace lost fluids and electrolytes. The hemolytic uremic syndrome is a serious complication characterized by the destruction of red blood cells and kidney failure that may occasionally arise from an infection with a toxin-producing strain of the bacteria Escherichia coli. The condition is most frequently seen in children, the elderly, and those with weakened immune systems.

To aid diagnosis, a stool culture may be done in conjunction with or following a GI pathogens panel that simultaneously tests for multiple disease-causing bacteria, viruses, and parasites. Other tests that may be done include an ova and parasite exam or antigen tests to identify specific microbes.