Your doctor can order the stool culture and sensitivity test if you suffer from the following symptoms :

• Diarrhea that lasts more than a few days
• Stool contains blood or mucus
• Poop that contains blood or mucus
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Fever

These symptoms are often caused by food poisoning. You can get food poisoning by eating food or drinking water that has been contaminated with bacteria, parasites, viruses, or other germs.

You may also need this test if you have immune problems or if your white blood cell count is high. This is a sign that your body is trying to fight off an infection.

If a stool culture is positive for pathogenic bacteria, then they are the most likely cause of the person’s diarrhea and other symptoms. Results are frequently reported out with the name of the pathogenic bacteria that was detected.

Some of the most common pathogenic bacteria that cause infections in the U.S. and their most frequently encountered sources include:

• Campylobacter – found in raw or undercooked poultry and unpasteurized milk.. It may become especially serious if it spreads to the blood, and it occasionally causes long-term complications such as arthritis and Guillain-Barré syndrome.
• Salmonella – found in raw eggs (even intact disinfected eggs), raw poultry, uncooked vegetables, and in reptiles; pets such as lizards and turtles may carry salmonella in their intestines without being ill themselves. Some humans may become carriers of salmonella. Salmonella may be transmitted person-to-person.
• Shigella – found in food and water contaminated with stool and from infected person-to-person when careful sanitation is not observed; for instance, it can be a challenge to prevent the spread of Shigella within a family and in a daycare or nursing home setting since very few organisms may cause disease.

The best things to do are to not drink water or eat food that may be contaminated and to follow good sanitation practices, such as thorough and frequent hand washing. Food that might be contaminated, such as raw meats and eggs, should be cooked thoroughly. Cooked foods and foods that are served raw should not touch any surfaces that may have been contaminated. Avoid fresh fruits and vegetables, limiting yourself to those that you can peel yourself. Avoid unpasteurized dairy products. Food from street vendors is generally not considered safe specially during the rainy season. If someone in your household has an infection that is causing diarrhea, careful hand washing by all family members is recommended, and the person infected should not prepare food or drink for others until the infection is resolved.

Severe pathogenic bacterial infections of the gastrointestinal tract and those causing complications may be treated with antibiotics, but many uncomplicated cases are best left untreated. People with healthy immune systems will usually get better on their own within a week or so. They are instructed in how to prevent the spread of the infection and are treated and monitored for symptoms such as dehydration.