When doctors order a urine culture, they're looking for bacteria. But what does it mean when the results come back with the phrase "bacteria urine/HPF value: rare"? In this article, we'll explain what that means and how it affects your treatment.
The number of bacteria observed per high power field (HPF) is reported as the number of bacteria observed per high power field on a microscope slide. This result is typically reported as "rare", "few", "moderate" or "many". The more bacteria present, the higher your value will be.
Bacteria can normally be found in urine, but only one to two bacteria per high-power field is considered normal. The presence of more than one bacterium per HPF is abnormal and indicative of a urinary tract infection. In general, the higher the bacterial count, the more serious the infection.
Bacteria do not usually enter your body through your mouth; they are usually present in your vagina or rectum before causing an infection in your urinary tract. If you have symptoms such as frequent urination and pain during urination that last for more than three days, you should seek medical attention immediately because these are signs of a UTI (urinary tract infection).
The throat can also cause bacteria levels to increase rapidly in urine samples due to oral sex or kissing someone's mouth who has cold sores around their lips like herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV1).
A rare bacterial count may be normal or may indicate a slight contamination of the sample with urine from the urethra or with vaginal bacteria in females.
A normal urinary tract has a low bacterial count, but it is possible for bacteria to enter your bladder through the urethra (the tube that carries urine out of your body). Bacteria can also be present when you have a urinary catheter inserted into your bladder. This might happen if you have surgery on your kidneys or bladder, had recent childbirth, are taking antibiotics or are suffering from an infection somewhere else in your body. Because these conditions increase risk for infection and sepsis (a life-threatening complication caused by severe inflammation), doctors must be careful when assessing urine samples taken from patients who fit this description. It's important for them to remember that sometimes even healthy people will show signs of bacterial infection because their immune systems aren't strong enough yet after recovery from illness or surgery—or because they're simply not producing enough antibodies against certain germs at any given point during their lives."
However, any bacteria present on a urine culture are considered pathogens. This means that they may cause infection if not treated properly and in a timely manner.
However, it is important to note that the presence of bacteria does not always mean an infection has occurred or is even active. In fact, some women can have growths of bacterial colonies in their bladder without showing any symptoms or experiencing any discomfort at all.
If you have any concerns regarding your results, please feel free to reach out to your doctor.
You can also call the lab that performed your urine test and request a copy of your lab report.
If you are still unsure about what may be causing this result, or if you have questions about treatment options or other aspects of managing a bacterial infection in children with kidney disease without blood in the urine (hematuria), please contact our caring doctors or nurses at 844-876-2772.
A urine culture is just one piece of a puzzle that must be interpreted in light of other clinical information, such as signs and symptoms, previous treatment history, etc. Abnormal labs should always be discussed with a doctor for further evaluation.
The bacteria/HPF value: rare result is within normal limits, meaning that it is not indicative of a medical condition. If you have any questions or concerns about this result, please contact your doctor.
A bacteria/HPF value of 1–2 is within normal limits and does not require any further action. Your results are within normal limits.
When bacteria/HPF value is 3–5, it means that there are a low number of bacteria in your urine sample. This is not a cause for concern and does not mean you have an infection or other health condition. It also doesn’t mean that you don’t have an infection or other health condition; however, it isn’t necessarily out of the ordinary either.
A test result like this one is considered “not positive” because there were fewer than 10 colony-forming units (CFU) of bacteria per milliliter (mL). It's also considered “not negative,” meaning that the results could be interpreted as either positive or negative depending on how many CFUs were found in your sample.
A bacteria count of 6–10 is generally considered to be in the normal range. However, if you are experiencing symptoms like a foul smell, cloudy urine or increased urination that are not related to other health conditions, see your doctor for further testing.
This indicates that the test result was positive for bacteria, but the number of bacteria is lower than normal. The best way to interpret this result is to look at your other results and see whether they are all in the normal range. If so, then this result can be considered normal as well.
If you have a high-value urine sample (such as 200 or more), it's possible that your urine has accumulated bacteria while being tested in the lab and diluted it slightly with distilled water prior to analysis by our instruments. It's also possible that there are certain types of bugs present in your sample which don't show up on HPF tests performed by most labs due to their size or other reasons (for example: those associated with “strep throat” type infections).
When this result is reported on your lab report, it means that bacteria are present in your urine. The number of bacteria and how much they are present is called the “HPF” or “Hematoxylin and Eosin” value. The HPF value tells you how many bacteria there are per square millimeter of sample (see figure 1).
Figure 1: What does a positive result mean?
A high number of bacteria may indicate an infection such as cystitis or kidney stones. If you have these symptoms, see a doctor immediately!
A bacterial/HPF value of 50+ means that bacteria are present in your urine. This can be a sign of a urinary tract infection (UTI), which is typically caused by bacteria that live in the vagina or anus and travel to the urethra. UTIs are most common in women because their urethral opening tends to be shorter than those of men, making it easier for bacteria to enter the bladder and cause an infection.
The presence of bacteria may also indicate an underlying medical condition such as diabetes or kidney disease; contact your doctor if you suspect an infection or UTI and have concerns about your health.
Your results are within normal limits.
Normal results are within the range of 1–50 bacteria/HPF. If your result is higher than 50 bacteria/HPF, it is considered abnormal and you need to see your doctor immediately.
In conclusion, if you have any concerns regarding your results, please feel free to reach out to your doctor.