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Cerebrospinal fluid culture - Results

Alternative Names

Culture - CSF; Spinal fluid culture; CSF culture

Normal Values:

A normal result means no bacteria, viruses, or fungi grew in the laboratory dish. This is called a negative result.

What abnormal results mean:

An abnormal result means a fungus, virus, or bacterium grew in the laboratory dish. This is considered a positive culture and is a sign of an infectious meningitis. This does not necessarily mean the infection is contagious, unless it is meningococcal meningitis.

See also:

Pneumococci organism

Reviewed last on: 8/10/2008
David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

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Cerebrospinal fluid culture - Results

Alternative Names

Normal Values:

What abnormal results mean: