Culture, Aerobic Bacteria with Gram Stain

Laboratory assay overview

Aerobic bacteria cause a variety of human infections. Proper specimen collection and transport, media and incubation are important criteria for the recovery of aerobes. The primary aerobic bacterial agents for skin and tissue infections include S. aureus, P. aeruginosa, members of the enterobacteriaceae, and beta-hemolytic streptococci. The gram stain is a critical test for the rapid, presumptive diagnosis of infectious agents and also serves to assess the quality of clinical specimens. The results of aerobic cultures assist the clinician with diagnosis and treatment of patients with bacterial infections. Proper interpretation of culture results is dependent on specimen source and known pathogenicity of the isolated organism.