AFB Urine Test in Kathmandu

About this test

This test hunts for acid-fast bacilli — the family of organisms that includes Mycobacterium tuberculosis — directly in your urine. A trained technologist concentrates the sample, smears it on a slide, and applies a Ziehl-Neelsen (or fluorescent auramine) stain; mycobacteria resist decolourisation and show up as slender pink rods against a blue background, hence the name acid-fast. A positive smear points to genitourinary tuberculosis, a quiet but important form of TB that settles in the kidneys, ureters, bladder, prostate or epididymis, often years after the original lung infection has healed. Doctors order it when someone has persistent sterile pyuria (pus cells in the urine but ordinary cultures grow nothing), unexplained blood in the urine, recurrent urinary symptoms that defy normal antibiotics, frank flank pain, or vague long-standing fevers, night sweats and weight loss. Because three consecutive early-morning specimens markedly improve detection, your doctor will usually request the set rather than a single sample. In Nepal, where tuberculosis remains common and extrapulmonary disease is far from rare, this inexpensive test is a valuable first step before committing to longer mycobacterial culture. It is important to understand its limits: a single negative smear does not rule TB out, and the stain cannot distinguish tuberculous from non-tuberculous (environmental) mycobacteria. For that reason results are read alongside urine culture, mycobacterial culture, GeneXpert MTB/RIF testing, imaging of the urinary tract, and the wider clinical picture before treatment begins.

Sample type

Urine (early-morning, three consecutive days)

Preparation

No fasting needed. Collect the very first urine you pass after waking, on three separate mornings, in a sterile container — early-morning urine is the most concentrated and gives the best yield. Clean the genital area first and aim for a mid-stream catch. Bring the sample to the lab promptly, or refrigerate it if there is any delay.

Turnaround time

Reports for AFB Urine are typically ready within: Next Day. Reports can be collected at the clinic during opening hours or shared via WhatsApp once they are ready.

Also known as

Other microbiology tests we run

These are routinely ordered alongside AFB Urine or as part of the same diagnostic workup.

How to book

WhatsApp is the fastest way — message us with the test name and your preferred time, and we'll confirm a slot the same day. You can also walk into the clinic at Rumba Chowk, Sanobharang any day between 7AM and 8PM, or fill in our online booking form.