What is it used for?
A sputum culture is most often used to:
Find and diagnose bacteria or fungi that may be causing an infection in the lungs or airways.
See if a chronic illness of the lungs has worsened.
See if treatment for an infection is working.
A sputum culture is often done with another test called a Gram stain. A Gram stain is a test that checks for bacteria at the site of a suspected infection or in body fluids such as blood or urine. It can help identify the specific type of infection you may have.
