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Definition

A wound culture is a laboratory test in which microorganisms from a wound are grown in a special growth medium. It is done to find and identify the microorganism causing an infection in a wound or an abscess. If a microorganism is found, more testing is done to determine the antibiotics that will be effective in treating the infection.

Purpose

Wounds are injuries to body tissues caused by disease processes or events such as burns, punctures, and human or animal bites. Wounds or abscesses also occur within body tissues as a result of surgery or dental procedures. Wounds become infected when microorganisms from the outside environment, or from...