Staph Infection Exams & Tests

Overview
Causes
Symptoms
Diagnosis
Exams & Tests
Treatment
Follow Up
Additional Resources

Save This Page

Your healthcare provider will diagnose a staph infection by taking skin or fluid cultures and testing them for signs of drug-resistant bacteria. The sample is sent to a lab where it is placed in a dish of nutrients that encourage bacterial growth (culture) and then studied. Results take about 48 hours, but newer tests that can detect staph in DNA in a matter of hours are now becoming more available.

Your healthcare provider may recommend one of the following tests:

• A skin biopsy and culture from the infected site.
• A culture of the fluid from the infection.
• A blood culture.
• A sputum culture through coughing or bronchoscopy, if pneumonia is present or suspected.
• A urine culture if a urinary tract infection is present or suspected.