title: [When should request a stool culture?].
abstract: A stool culture needs a medical prescription and is justified only in a case of clearly defined acute diarrhea. The clinical context must be suggestive of a bacterial etiology. The detection of the bacterial agents has to follow a well-defined strategy to optimize a rigorous prescription. Standardized stool culture is for patients treated in medical community practice and for patients hospitalized for less than 3 days. Clostridium difficile toxin testing is systematically performed in case of nosocomial diarrhea. Additional bacterial detections are limited to defined indications.
authors.affiliation: Université Paris 13/Nord, faculté de médecine, hôpital Avicenne, service de bactériologie-virologie, hygiène, 93000 Bobigny, France. bertrand.picard@avc.aphp.fr
authors.forename: Bertrand
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Picard
mesh_terms: D019411:Clinical Laboratory Techniques / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology*; D005767:Gastrointestinal Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008828:Microbiological Techniques / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data