Cultures

A bacterial culture can be collected by a doctor in order to identify the any present strain of bacteria, in order to propose the appropriate treatment. It can be performed at various locations suspected to contain bacterial strains.

• Mouth: By using a tongue depressor, the doctor keeps the tongue in place while rubbing each tonsil and the posterior pharynx with a swab.
• Ear: The secretion flowing from the external ear canal is collected by using a swab, under the microscopic vision.
• Nose: The swab is handled with circular movements inside of the nostrils.
• Wound: Once the wound identified, it is scraped and culture is collected by using a swab.

The culture sample is analyzed at the CHUM’s microbiology laboratory. However, patients may bring the sample to the laboratory of their choice.